Flood Warning

According to the National Emergency Management Agency, more than 600,000 people have been displaced by recent flooding and more than 300 people have been killed this year due to the recent crisis.

Written by Afoma Dike

Oct 12, 2022

On Friday, 07 October 2022, 76 people died in Anambra State while trying to escape high floodwaters. They had been on a boat carrying approximately 85 passengers. The boat capsized in the south-eastern state, in floodwaters that are now so high that they are, reportedly, covering entire buildings. Significant parts of eight local government areas or ‘LGAs’ in Anambra—Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, Ayamelum and Oyi—are currently submerged underwater.

The casualties in Anambra happened just a week after a flood in Kogi State. In Kogi, several days of downpours claimed the lives of at least six victims, including a toddler in Ibaji, the worst-hit of Kogi’s LGAs.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the flood in Anambra has displaced more than 600,000 people and, across Nigeria, floods have killed more than 300 people this year. NEMA has identified states such Cross River and Kebbi that lie along the banks of the Rivers Niger and Benue as those most at risk of extreme flooding. This is because, according to NEMA, three of Nigeria’s overfilled reservoirs are expected to overflow into these regions.

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About the Author

Afoma Dike

is a writer based in Lagos and a former Associate Editor at The Republic.

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Flood Warning