By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Shuwa and Mayowando communities in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, are seeking immediate aid from Government, philanthropic groups and individuals after living in anguish and deprivation for more than a week following a devastating flood that claimed a life.
The immediate needs of the people are food, health intervention as well as clothing and toiletries to temporarily relieve them from the hardship of the flood that occured in the late hours of Wednesday and early hours of Thursday (21,22/08/2024).
No fewer than 550 houses, millions of naira worth of food stuffs both at home and farms were destroyed.
At the moment, over over 600 displaced persons in Mayowando are temporarily housed in a primary school and a nearby clinic amidst dangers of an impending outbreak of disease.
Worst hit by the unfortunate situation are women and children who are still looking for where to lay their heads, making life extremely difficult with no food and also in dire need of a makeshift accommodation
.
Our Correspondent learnt from a resident of the community that no intervention from Government agency nor any other quarter, not even the Madagali Local Government authority has reached the people, leaving them in a helpless situation for over seven days after the occurrence of the incident that took them unawares while in their sleep.
According to Joseph Ngamdo, speaking in Hausa, “we were just sleeping in the night and without any prior knowledge, we started seeing what we have never experienced. Water everywhere. We were confused not knowing where to go.
“We had to keep some people on the trees while some of us ran to safer places and in my case, the water had reached a very high level taking away all our belongings including our food stuffs, farms, cattle and birds”, he lamented.
He also explained that the water submaged the river level over a kilometre far away and reaching them in their settlement, adding that they are currently staying in the village primary school while they are being fed by people from a distant village.
Some of the women spoken to, expressed serious concern over their plight and that of their children there by calling for urgent help to relieve their suffering.
Relief materials in terms of food, toiletries, medicals, sleeping mats and household items are urgently needed to avert any outbreak of disease or disaster.
Shuwa, with an estimated population of 5,000, has had over 400 houses destroyed by the flood with over 1,000 persons displaced while Mayowando, with an estimated population of about 3,000 had 150 of its houses destroyed with 600 persons currently displaced.
