Reintegrating Anambra Flood Victims

 

David-Chyddy Eleke, wholooked at the 2022 flood in Anambra State, writes on the condition of the survivors who are trying to reintegrate in their communities after months of being in Internally Displaced Persons Camps 

The expectation is that after this year’s ravaging flood, victims who have been in IDP camps for three months, from September to November would return home after the floods have receded to thank their stars for being among those who made it out alive, but that is not the case, as even those who made it back alive are threatened by lack of food, water scarcity, and threat of diseases.

Save for the 2012 flood, 10 years ago, the 2022  flood has been said to be the most devastating. Besides sacking residents of about eight local government areas in Anambra State from their residences, the flood also took in its wake, the livelihood of many. But most devastating is that an estimated 120 persons lost their lives in Anambra State alone as a result of the 2022 flood.

How it Started

The flood started in September, with some residential areas in flood prone areas being submerged. Before then, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had warned that some states in the country will fall to flood. 

Anambra was among the state listed, and owing to this, the state government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) began a campaign to evacuate people from flood plains in the state.

Their efforts yielded less fruit as most farmers in flood-prone areas resisted attempt to take them off their residences. The Anambra North Senatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Mrs Uzoamaka Peace Obimuonso told THISDAY that most farmers are usually reluctant to leave their farms to IDP camps, after putting in lots of hard work there. He said this was the reason many farmers sometimes get drowned.

She said: “It was not easy on our people, even when some of them saw the ferocious nature of the flood, the temptation for them not to abandon the source of their income was high. Some of our people who could not resist the temptation to abandon their farm produce, got drown by the flood. That was the story of some people from Nzam conveying their rice produce to market unfortunately they lost their lives. It was the same story at Ogbaru, where some people had to beg a boat man to ferry them to market, but they still could not make it as a result of overload of goods and persons.

“All these death could have been averted if the people were sure of the source of their next meal. Most times, the farmers borrow money from local money lender, which if they fail to pay back when due, attracts heavy consequences.”

Death Toll

Several stories of death trailed the 2022 flood, unlike other years. The figure of those who died in the flood have been put at about 120. On October 10, a family of six persons reportedly drowned in Nzam, Anambra East Local Government Area. The death which was captured in video showed youths of the community bringing out corpses from a house and depositing them in an upland area. A narrator in the video said the family was already prepared to leave for a safe place the next day, before they were swept away by the flood after they went to bed. The video was later confirmed to be true.

In Ogbaru, two boat mishaps, happened on the same day involving about 90 people. While one of the boats, a big sized boat was allegedly carrying 85 passengers when it capsized, a smaller one said to be a flying boats which capsized as a result of engine failure had five passengers in it. All five passengers lost their lives, while only nine people out of 85 were rescued from the bigger boat, leaving as many as 76 dead. This makes 81 persons who lost their lives in one day.

In same Ogbaru, A man identified to be the uncle of the local government transition committee chairman, Pascal Aniegbuna was said to have died after he evacuated his family and decided to stay back at home to tend his farm. He was said to have slept at night and was swept into the flood, where he drowned. His body was later discovered in his apartment after some days.

Calls for Help

Several calls for help to the displaced people were made, and many well meaning individuals heeded the call, donating household materials, food items and sanitary materials to victims, who had all moved to IDP camps.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Disaster Response Unit (DRU) of the Military using view operation was able to rescue persons displaced or trapped by the then rising floods. Mr Thickman Tanimu, Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, South-East, told journalists that it aided the airlifting of trapped persons in affected communities.

 “Search and Rescue (SAR Operations) commenced. The Military DRU engaged and started ‘Air Recce’ or Aerial view to collect imagery intelligence of the affected communities. This will help to ascertain displaced and trapped persons who need to be evacuated to pave the way for air lifting.”

Besides this, Tanimu confirmed that the Presidency and the Director-General NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed-Habib, approved relief materials. He had said: “The relief material will hopefully arrive on Tuesday and be ready for delivery directly to victims. These items are meant to complement the efforts of Anambra State government in providing immediate succour to victims and aid their speedy rehabilitation.”

Philanthropists, politicians and other good spirited individuals also provided help to victims, who live in several camps within their communities. Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu, a House of Representatives candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for Oyi/Ayamelum Federal Constituency, visited an IDP camp in Igbakwu community in Ayamelum.

 Nwachukwu, a medical doctor donated household and food items to the displaced people, also set up an emergency health centre in the camp to check the health of the victims and also provide them free drugs. He called on other well meaning people of the state to offer help to the victims. “They are suffering. They sleep here in the open, and have lost their homes to flood. Things like this can be devasting, and can trigger health issues, where non exists,” he said.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) donated 5,000 dignity kits to the victims, which was taken delivery of by the state’s Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo. A non governmental organization, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) donated; 600 bags of rice, 60 bags of beans, 60 bags of garri, 500 pieces of mattresses, 500 cartons of noodles, 600 tubers of yams, 50 cartoons of tomatoes. Others are; 30 cartons of bathing soap, 30 cartons of washing soap, 30 gallons of palm oil, 30 cartons of beverages, 30 cartons of milk, 50 gallons of vegetable oil, 10 bags of salt and 10 cartons of maggi cubes.

Other groups also made donations to better the lives of victims. Anambra State Association of Town Union (ASATU) donated N2million to support persons affected by the flood crises in the state. The Member Representing Anambra East constituency in the State House of Assembly, pharmacist Obinna Emeneka, donated an ambulance, drugs and food items. Also, Anambra State Chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo donated N500,000 to the state government for this.

Time to go Home

Meanwhile, in late November, the good news of the flood receding broke, with many of the displaced persons looking forward to going back to their normal lives, away from sleeping in the cold, eating community food and bathing in the open. In the first week of December, most of the displaced persons were ready to return home for a new lease of life. But the sad news is that their home are no longer the serene homes they left behind.

THISDAY reporter who moved round the affected communities found that even though the flood was over, the troubles of the people have only just started.

For example, Mrs Theresa Mbuasi, a widow from Omor in Ayamelum, with three young children, who was among those who abandoned her home to stay in IDP for three months retuned home to find out that the place she and her tree children call home, which was left behind for them by her late husband had collapsed. Mrs Mbuasi, besides her rice farm, which was totally washed away by the flood, is now faced with the reality of being homeless. She is not the only one in such condition in Omor town.

In Ogbaru, many of the residents returned after the three months stay in the camp to find out that their homes have been plundered by hoodlums, and their properties carted away. This is however for those whose houses are still standing, as many houses collapsed, leaving their owners homeless after being under water for months.

A visit to many of the local government secretariat in Atani showed that it was also affected, with the secretariat fence pulled down, and some parts of their roads cut into two parts. The troubles of the displaced people is now multi-pronged. For example, when they were in camps, their condition elicited the pity of many people who donated to them, but now that they have returned home to work and fend for themselves, but found that they are faced with diverse challenges, including food shortage, contaminated water and threat of outbreak of diseases.

In Ogbaru, a sand dredger, and indigene of Ossomala, Elder Simeon Nwachukwu said: “We returned home after the flood to meet a very smelly place. After the hot sun of the day, we face heavy stench from our homes every night, and we are afraid because it is giving us a lot of discomfort.

Meanwhile, The United Nations Childrens Funds (UNICEF) may have observed the difficulty being faced by the people as it has launched a post flood intervention programme to help ease the suffering of the people. During a recent tour of flood ravaged areas to hold a townhall meeting with stakeholders of the areas involved, UNICEF officials said the aim was to see how they can help the people get reintegrated in to the society.

During a meeting with stakeholders in Otuocha, Achalla, Atani; the three locations that represent the most ravaged local government areas of Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, Ogbaru, Ihiala and Ekwusigo, Officials of UNICEF listened to victims recount their experiences. The Officials first explained their mission in the areas. 

Enugu Field Office WASH Specialist, Mr. Timi Kiabuku, who led UNICEF officials to the meeting said: “The ongoing UNICEF response to the Anambra flood emergency is with funding from United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and UNICEF’s response will focus on three sectors – Child Protection, Health and WASH.” Also, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Consultant (Enugu office), Mr Andy Nwanze in his address said it organized the meeting to see how the organisation can support those affected by the 2022 flood, especially now that the flood have receded, and the victims are going back to their homes.

The stakeholders on their part expressed fear about the likely outbreak of diseases. Members of various communities in Awka North; chairman of Awka North Local Government Area, Mr Emmanuel Ucheze, executive chairman, Primary Health Development agency, Dr Chioma Ezenyimulu, executive secretary of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Paul Odenigbo and many others recounted the sufferings of the people during the disaster.

Ucheze said; “I thank UNICEF for coming to our aid. What we witnessed in this local government during the period of the disaster is something I have never witnessed before, since I was born. We are happy that you have come to intervene, and we are also appealing to other bodies to see what they can do to help our people. 

“The flood has receded, and our people have gone back into the community, but some do not know where to start, because they have lost everything.” He added that the affected people also face serious hunger because their crops, barns and farmlands have all been washed away.

Ezenyimulu added that: “We are concerned about children and their health. We just started measles vaccination to help protect children against disease. As the flood is receding and people are going back to their homes, we are worried about the likely outbreak of diseases. We have started vaccinating the people against Rota Virus to ensure that people remain healthy.”

In Ogbaru, members of the community lamented the shortage of portable water, as a result of the destruction of their boreholes by the flood, and the contamination of other natural sources of water for the community.

 Interaction with the people showed that in Ogbaru, Ihiala, Ekwusgo LGA, over 50 hand pumping boreholes, 30 public toilet facilities have been damaged by the flood , and this has caused water scarcity in the affected local government areas, as indigenes fear that other remaining sources of water may have been contaminated.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) coordinators in three LGAs, who gave reports of their assessments in the field said the people were living in deplorable situation, despite returning to their homes. WASH coordinator for Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Mrs Queen Udolisa in her report noted that many boreholes drilled for the community by UNICEF have been damaged by the flood, while others had their sumos stolen.

 “Most of the communities we visited, including markets, we found out that the toilets have been swept off by flood, and villagers are afraid of drinking from their regular sources of water because they fear that it is already contaminated.”

Also, Chairman of Ogbaru LGA, Mr Pascal Aniegbuna further explained that some of the boreholes were not only destroyed by flood, but criminals took advantage of the relocation of indigenes to camps, to steal the sumo of most of the boreholes. 

“Those are the things we suffered during the recent flooding. Criminals took advantage to plunder many homes. One of my friends had properties in his hotel stolen by criminals. We are appealing to UNICEF and any other groups that can help our people not to relent. Most people came back home after the flood had receded, only to see that their houses have collapsed, and their properties washed away.”

UNICEF Takes Steps

Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe who later spoke to THISDAY in Awka during this invitation said the organization feels pity for the flood affected people, and envisaged that post flood intervention would be very needed, for them to be able to continue to stay in the place. She announced the donation of chemicals for the fumigation of the entire flood affected areas, to avoid outbreak of disease.

She disclosed too that no fewer that 600 people lost their lives to the 2022 flood in Nigeria, and that about 1.3million people were displaced. This she said happened in 34 out of the 36 state in the country, between September and October.

 Chiluwe said: “We acknowledged that since September 2022, the worst floods in a decade affected 2.8 million people, of which an estimated 60 per cent are children, across 34 of the 36 states in Nigeria. Of those affected, 1.3 million people have been displaced, and over 600 people have died in relation to flooding according to government data. Continuous heavy rains have collapsed hundreds of public health facilities, water systems and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, diarrhoea, and malaria.”

She said UNICEF has donated over 100 drums of chlorine for disinfection of water sources, 40 cartons of Aquatabs for household water treatment and 320 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic food (RUTF) to Anambra State government. “To contribute to the effort of government and other development partners, UNICEF, with funding the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has initiated a multisectoral response comprising Health, Child Protection and WASH sectors, to mitigate the impact of the floods support the early recovery-phase of the affected population in Anambra State.”

Caption for Pictures

1&2: UNICEF field officer, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe handing over chemicals for fumigation of flood ravaged areas of Anambra to the state Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachi Ibezim

3. Fence of Ogbaru LGA, Atani, pulled down by the recent flood

Quotes

The flood has receded, and our people have gone back into the community, but some do not know where to start, because they have lost everything…the affected people also face serious hunger because their crops, barns and farmlands have all been washed away

We acknowledged that since September 2022, the worst floods in a decade affected 2.8 million people, of which an estimated 60 per cent are children, across 34 of the 36 states in Nigeria. Of those affected, 1.3 million people have been displaced, and over 600 people have died in relation to flooding according to government data