60 homes, 5 churches destroyed by flood in Rivers

Over 1000 persons have been rendered homeless as flood sacked about 60 homes and five churches in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The flood caused by overflow of Orashi river, affected five communities, including Oruama, Akinima, Mbiama and Joinkrama 1and 2.
Meteorologists had predicted flooding in some communities in the country, including those in Ahoada, which was also heavily hit by the 2012 flooding.
When newsmen visited the area, flood had already taken over several homes, leaving the residents in absolute confusion and fear. Mr. Eniata Abiaba, a community leader in one of the communities, Akinima, complained that the flood took them unawares, adding that all their farms had been submerged.
He said the communities were now in big problem, noting that the people thought they would never experience the type of flooding that affected the area in 2012.
He said: “The communities that are experiencing the flood is in a big problem because of the overflow of Orashi river. Now our homes and farms have been submerged in the water. We don’t have where to go and what to eat.”
Meanwhile, the immediate past chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Mr. Ikechukwu Obuzor, has called for a swift intervention by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and other responsible agencies.
Obuzor said the people of the area were now faced with several challenges, calling on the state government to provide alternative source of livelihood for the people seriously affected.
Vanguard