Floods destroy 2,714 houses, claim 10 lives in Niger

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ibrahim Inga, on Wednesday said the 2019 floods destroyed 2,714 houses and claimed 10 lives in the state.
Mr Inga disclosed this when he appeared before the Niger State House of Assembly to brief it on the agency’s activities in 2019.
He said a total of 21, 223 people were affected by the disaster in 20 local government areas with 123 communities submerged.
“The floods, which began in August as a result of a localised high intensity rainfall accompanied by torrential winds, triggered massive run off activities in streams and rivers.
“These violent river behaviours resulted in loss of 10 lives with some roads, bridges, culverts and residential buildings badly affected by the force of the water.
“These excess waters have inundated several hectares of farmlands and displaced some dwellers in hinterland communities,” he added.
He said the agency could not sufficiently respond to the disaster as it had exhausted its N200m capital budget for 2019 before the flooding season.
“The agency may not have responded with relief interventions due to the reasons mentioned but had acted within the conduct of the above assessment exercise.
“In view of the above therefore, the agency has requested for an emergency supplementary budget wallet,” he said.
According to him, in addition to its assessment exercise, the agency has forwarded request for assistance in favour of the victims from donor partners.(NAN)