Flood destroys 148 houses in Sokoto State

  

No fewer than 148 houses had been destroyed by flood which ravaged various parts of Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Saturday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports from Gwadabawa on Wednesday that the disaster struck the headquarters of the local government and Galadunchin-tsauri, Gidan-Dogaza, as well as ‘Yar-Gada villages.

Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the local government, Alhaji Aminu Aya, told news men that no life was however lost in the incident.

Aya stated that most of the victims were now squatting with relatives and neighbours pending the rehabilitation of their damaged houses.

”The farm produce stored in silos and some farmlands had been washed away. In the same vein, the extent of damage caused by the disaster had been conservatively put at millions of naira,” he added.

The chairman disclosed that the council had set up a seven-man committee which had assessed the extent of damage caused by the floods.

”We have reported the disaster to the State Government through the State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA).

“We are, therefore, appealing to the state and federal governments to come to the immediate aid of the victims as they had lost everything they had before the disaster struck.

“In the meantime, we have earmarked N820,000 for the immediate purchase of assorted relief materials to be donated to the victims.

“They include food, blankets, rubber mats and others to help in providing succour to them,” Aya stated.

One of the victims, Buhari Alhassan, expressed happiness that there was no loss of life, and appealed to the state and federal governments, as well as other donor agencies, to assist them.

” We have lost all our belongings and food to the disaster and we are now surviving with the mercies of God, relatives and other well-wishers.