Flood: Delta records 22 new babies in IDP camps

From Meluwa Kelvin, Asaba

Delta State government yesterday said it recorded 22 newborns at the various internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the state. 

Secretary to the state government and Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Flood Management Committee, Chief Patrick Ukah, disclosed this at a news conference in Asaba. 

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He said that the loss recorded by the state would have been more catastrophic if not for the proactiveness of the state government. 

“But through our proactiveness, the Ministry of Environment was directed to open up the canals leading to the Niger River and DESOPADEC was also handy in this regard as they opened up canals around their own operational areas. 

“We were able to set up four camps by DESOPADEC and eight camps by the state government and we had about 21,000 IDPs in those eight camps and over 17,000 in areas where DESOPADEC set up their own IDPs camps,” he said. 

Ukah commended the private sector response to the flood disaster, assuring that the state government would soon publish the names of the private sector donors in a full page advertorial in the newspapers for the state to appreciate them individually. 

“Now that the water has started receding and we have started planning their exit, by the grace of God we will do whatever it takes to assist them to get back to normal life irrespective of whatever they must have lost to the flood. 

“We thank God that we didn’t have so many deaths and we had a lot of deliveries up to 22 babies in the different camps.”  

The commissioner added that the loss associated with the flood was unquantifiable adding that the state government had yet to receive any money from the federal government other than some relief items from NEMA.