By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency has appealed to the Federal Government for emergency assistance after flooding submerged homes and displaced hundreds of residents in Yola, the state capital.
Executive Secretary of ADSEMA, Dr Celine Laori, made the appeal on Wednesday, Wednesday in Yola, saying the agency was still assessing the full extent of damage caused by heavy rainfall and a midnight rainstorm.
She said the floods affected Jambutu and Bachure communities in Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas, contaminating drinking water sources and raising fears of a possible cholera outbreak.
Laori called for the urgent provision of food, non-food items, safe drinking water and disease-prevention materials for affected residents.
She attributed the flooding to heavy rainfall, construction on waterways and indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels.
According to her, ADSEMA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross and other partners, has commenced an assessment of affected communities to determine the extent of the damage and the number of displaced persons.
She also appealed to the Federal Government and development partners to support relief efforts in Yola and Jimeta, while expressing concern that many residents ignored repeated warnings to leave flood-prone areas and stop blocking drainage channels.
Laori recalled that flooding claimed about 15 lives in Adamawa last year, noting that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had earlier predicted Adamawa among the states likely to experience flooding in 2026.
