Flood destroys houses, business premises in Jalingo

The flood followed heavy rainfall, which started at about 2 am and lasted for three hours.

Most affected by the flood were houses and business premises located close to River Mayo-Gwoi.

Daily Trust correspondent’s visit to the area showed that the Mayo-Gwoi bridge was flooded as several motorists were stranded by both sides of the bridge.

Further findings revealed household items, foodstuffs and animals worth hundreds of thousands of naira were lost in the flood that affected more than 200 houses all located by the Mayo-Gwoi River.

A resident of one of the locations affected by the flood, Musa Dauda, told Daily Trust that his house and that of his neighbours were flooded.

He said they had to evacuate their families to safety, but their belongings including foodstuffs were washed away.

Report from the other locations affected by the flood indicated that the affected residents were trying to salvage their property out of the water as the volume of water in the river was slowly reducing.

‘200 houses affected’

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Jalingo Local Government Area in Taraba State, Nasiru Bobboji, has called for the urgent provision of relief materials and medication to victims of the flood disaster in Jalingo early morning Saturday.

He made the appeal shortly after he visited houses affected by the flood in Mayo-Gwoi, Rubi area, Magami and other parts of the state capital.

The chairman said the disaster was very devastating as it affected more than 200 houses and displaced thousands of people including women and children.

Bobboji, therefore, called on the Taraba State Government, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to come to the aid of the victims.

He said he had seen the level of destruction and many of the victims have lost their belongings including their houses which called for immediate assistance to the victims.

“You can see many houses collapsed, property including foodstuffs destroyed by the flood and therefore there is the urgent needs to assist the victims,” he said.

Meanwhile, one lane of the Mayo-Gwoi bridge was closed to traffic because of a crack noticed on a potion of the bridge following the flooding which submerged the bridge.