We Are Yet To Get Help From Anybody Since 2022 Flood: Biko

 

Solomon Biko, the Secretary of Okoboh Community in Abua/Odual Local Government  Area. of Rivers has lamented that two years after a  devastating flood hit  his community and several parts of the Niger Delta Region, help was yet to come their way.

He disclosed that  even when his  community was visited by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who indicated  then that they came for a preliminary assessment of the impacts of the floods, they were yet to get a feedback from the agency.

Speaking on  Thursday during a post flooding impact assessment visit to the community by the Media  Awareness and  Justice  Initiative (MAJI) under the Citizen Science Project of the organization,  Biko maintained that the locals have not been able to erase that ugly experience from their memories.

He recalled that while the flood was washing the community away, governments at all levels did nothing to protect the community or ameliorate their suffering.

The 2022 flooding incident he disclosed affected many communities at the Orashi region of the state, displacing many people from their homes.

He attributed  the  2022 flood in the environment to the  erratic  weather changes, excess rainfall and dam releases that flew from the Orashi River, which is a boundary water body that  empties itself into the low coastal lying landscape of the community. 

Biko said  "After the assessment, we haven’t heard from the federal agency again till today.

Calling on the relevant authorities to come to their aid, he said "There is need for the government   to help us cushion the impacts of the flooding and  assist us in preparing for emergencies.

Also speaking, Ngowari Esereghi from Okoboh Community, lamented, with  an emotion filled voice how women have been suffering from constant lack of food, lack of access to medical health care and inability to provide food for their families as a result of that flood.

She stated that they were still faced with food insecurity which started with the destruction of their farmlands and crops by the  flood. 

The situation according to her " is worsened by steady rise in prices of food and other items as well as rising abject poverty and harsh economic realities in the land. 

She stated that after the flooding when they eventually returned to their community, life was very tough due to lack of resources to replace their properties washed away by the rampaging flood. 

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