Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Four people, including a blind man and an 11-year-old boy, have drowned as floods continue to ravage parts of Delta State.
The blind casualty was said to be in his 60’s and was trying to escape from the rampaging flood which had already submerged his house in Powerline area of Asaba, with the aid of a wooden boat which capsized.
His two children, who were with him during the incident, survived the accident, according to Mr. Emma Ekube, who spoke with Daily Sun, at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Ogbe-Afor Primary School in Asaba.
Victims of the flood were seen trickling into the IDP camp as at yesterday.
Fifteen people had registered at about 2.30pm when the Daily Sun left the place.
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Ekube, who said he is the secretary of Powerline community, disclosed that the entire area has been submerged by the flood from River Niger, and added that most of the victims were reluctant to vacate the place and move to IDP camp in a bid to protect what was left of their property.
He disclosed that he was a victim of the 2012 flood but did not come to the IDP camp provided by the state government but decided to move his family to the camp against the opinion of his fellow residents that their 2012 camp experience was nothing to write home about.
Incident Commander of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for Delta and Anambra states, Walson Ibarakumo Brandon, said from secondary sources, three people, including the 11-year old boy, died as a result of the flood.
Brandon said the 11-year boy drowned at Okpai in Ndokwa East Local Government Area while the two others, whom he did not state their ages and sexes, drowned in Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area.
He said six local government areas of Oshimili South, Ndokwa East Ughelli South, Patani, Burutu and Bomadi were heavily affected by the flood.
Meanwhile, Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who undertook an on-the-spot assessment of some of the impacted communities in Asaba, said government is on top of the situation to make life comfortable for the victims in the various IDP camps across the state.
On the reluctance of the most of the victims to relocate to IDP camps and other safer places, the governor told journalists, shortly after also inspecting facilities at the Ogbe-Afor camp, that machinery has been put in place to monitor the victims wherever they choose to stay.
“This camp has been fumigated; you can see the place is being kept clean to make it habitable for the victims.
“We have insecticide treated mosquito nets. Mattresses and pillows are here. A clinic with medical personnel has been set up here.”
“The other place is the Julius Berger site which is a very high point, the water will never get there, and they also want to over look their communities to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
“It is quite difficult to convince them to leave but I decided to allow it because that place is a high point and Julius Berger staff are there working,” Okowa said.
Submerged communities visited by the governor include Oko-Amakom, Powerline, Oko-Anala and Oko-Ogbele all in Oshimili South.
“I have just directed that they should send relief materials to the people in Tsekelewu because that place is already submerged but because they are used to water, they don’t want to leave, they have been able to improvise a high point where they are staying, what they need is actually is food items to enable them survive through this period,” he said