From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Tragedy struck Okubuchi community in Boki, Cross River State, following a heavy downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
The heavy rain, which started at about 6:00 pm, came with a whirlwind and windstorm on Monday, pulling down rooftops and displacing over 500 persons within the community.
Checks by Daily Sun revealed that property worth millions of naira were destroyed just as displaced persons are now taking refuge in the neighbouring communities.
A witness and a community leader in the area, Chief Anthony Ewah-Obi, said the windstorm destroyed houses and a good number of economic trees including ogbono stems, banana trees and palm trees which are sources of revenue to the people.
“We have not had this kind of disaster before in our community. The windstorm destroyed over 100 houses including economic trees and other valuables.
“As we speak, over 500 households have been displaced as a result of the heavy windstorm. Many of them are now refugees in nearby communities.
“We are looking for federal and state government intervention because our people are stranded; it is not easy for a man and his family to seek refuge in a house that is not his”, he stated.
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While lamenting the losses incured, a victim of the windstorm incident, Sunday Otu, said the effect of the windstorm has been devastating to the extent of affecting the education of their children as many parents have left the community with their children to seek refuge elsewhere.
Otu solicited help from both the federal and state government to come to their rescue.
In his reaction, the lawmaker representing Boki 2 State Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly, Hon Hilary Bisong, appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the victims with relief materials as a way of providing succour to victims.
The Director General (DG), Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), stated that the agency is aware of the misfortune and promised to channel the complaint to appropriate quarters for action to be taken.
The SEMA DG averred that arrangements have been concluded to make a visit to the area to ascertain the extent of damage and possibly inform NEMA Zonal Office in the South-South of the need to come to the aid of the victims.