Agony of flood victims

Obviously worried, Mrs. Ameh, a resident of Rice Mill suburb in Makurdi, turned to our correspondent after heaving a sigh of relief to point at cracks on the wall of the building she shares with her husband and children.“The house has cracks all over. It’s the mark of last year’s devastating flood. We are yet […]

Obviously worried, Mrs. Ameh, a resident of Rice Mill suburb in Makurdi, turned to our correspondent after heaving a sigh of relief to point at cracks on the wall of the building she shares with her husband and children.
“The house has cracks all over. It’s the mark of last year’s devastating flood. We are yet to recover from the horrible experience as a family. Now, the water level of River Benue is rising. I’m very afraid that what the government people have been talking about (flood) may happen again this year,” she said.
She regretted that the government could not pay any monetary compensation to reduce the impact of the loses suffered as a result of the 2012 flood disaster despite earlier promises to do so.
According to her, the government only visited the area to fumigate the vicinity and after that the victims were left on their own to bear the brunt of their loses.
But Ameh’s present cause for worry is however based on the fact that her husband cannot raise enough money to rent an apartment in a safer place to relocate the family in the event of another flood.
“I’m worried at present because we don’t have anywhere to go. Sadly, house rent is on the increase in Makurdi. A room now cost N2,500 and the landlords expects nothing less than two years advance payment. My husband cannot afford such money. We have been going around town looking for accommodation but we don’t have the huge money required to rent available ones,” Ameh stressed.
Another resident of Wadata in Makurdi, Ochoche Alome, who disclosed that he lost over N500, 000 worth of properties to the last flood has resorted to prayer over the rising water level along the coastal vicinity in the past few days.
He said the government has informed them of the impending danger but there is nowhere to relocate to since the same government has not allocated a suitable place to move the residents of the area to.
Alome, a rice merchant wondered if he would ever recover from loses in the event the last year flood experience occurs again especially for the fact that they (victim) were not compensated for the damages suffered.
In his words, “the government should make effort to provide us with pieces of land to enable us relocate our family and businesses while we continue to pray for divine intervention to avert another flooding.
He however expressed hope that the rising water has not yet reached a frightening stage as it was last year by this time when a substantial part of their business area at the water front was already overtaken by flood.
Similarly, Agara Patrick, a sand and gravel dealer at John Holt waterfront in Wadata, admitted that the water level of  River Benue has risen since a week ago.
“The water started rising gradually since last week. Though there is no cause for alarm yet, those of us doing business in this area have already taken our pleas to God to avert a repeated occurrence of flood such as we witnessed in this town last year.
“We can’t predict what will happen, so, at this point, we are relying absolutely on God. Though at this time last year, the water had already covered a better part of our business environ, the good news for now is that the rising level of the water is still minimal compared to the 2012 experience,” Patrick said.
Another respondent, Mohammed Adah of Lesel street, off Ricemill, stressed that residents have completely turned their appeal to God for divine mercies in order to avert a repeat of the calamity which befell them a year ago.
“We have completely turned the situation over to God. Although the water level is not rising as fast as it did last time, we are however not relenting in prayers. We can only continue to make supplication for divine intervention or else, is there anything we can do? he asked.
In the same vein,  Mrs. Victoria Terkula, a resident of Wadata, added that the rising of the River Benue in the last few days has given her family and neighbours a serious concern, especially as they don’t know where to temporary relocate to.
“I don’t want to face the challenge again. It’s rather very traumatic. We have been praying seriously against the background of the expected flood. Only God will help us, we are really afraid of the prediction,” she concluded.
Her fears were also collaborated by Ladi Ujah and Joshua Sule who said they were completely relying on God to avert the prediction just as they pleaded with government to relocate susceptible victims to safer ground.
When contacted, Executive secretary of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Adikpo Agbatse confirmed that the water level is on the rise.
Agbatse said that there is no cause for alarm yet as the rising water level is still within the normal limit for a rainy period such as this, adding however that the state government is fully prepared to tackle any eventuality.