Flood Submerges Over 150 Houses In Markurdi- Vanguard - Properties -

A six hour downpour yesterday left many parts of Makurdi, the Benue state capital, flooded with close to 150 houses submerged in the late night rain that lasted till the early hours of Friday. Among the areas badly hit by the flood were Demekpe, Wadata Rice mill, Agboughoul village, Mobile Barrack, Achusa village and Logo areas of the town. The flood which submerged several houses in the affected areas also swept away property of many families who were seen battling to save whatever they could rescue from the flood waters. Saturday Vanguard discovered in most of the areas visited, that the devastation was occasioned by blocked drainages and non availability of proper drainages in some of the affected communities. One of the victims of the devastation, in Rice Mill area and a father of three, James Ojudu,told Saturday Vanguard that the flood took them by surprise, stressing, “we were actually not prepared for this, because we’ve not had serious rainfall in Makurdi since this year. Saturday Vanguard recalls that a few weeks back, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, Engr. Nathaniel Alaaga had disclosed in a radio programme monitored in Makurdi, that the state government had put measures in place to avert possible flooding of parts of the state in the event of any heavy downpour. The development has however left many families worried especially with the warning by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, of an impending release of water from excess water from Ladgo dam by the Cameroonian authorities which my affect states and communities along River Benue