Joseph Edirou Reports
A total of 1,344,014 persons have so far been directly affected by this year’s ravaging flood in Bayelsa State.
In an official data released by the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA), while a total of one million, three hundred and forty-four thousand and fourteen persons have been affected by the flood, one million two hundred and ten thousand, one hundred and eighty three people were displaced from their houses.
In the spread sheet as at last Friday, 4th November, ninety-six (96) deaths have so far been recorded with Yenagoa LGA posting the highest fatality figure.
Confirming the official data, the SEMA Chairman, Hon. Walamam Igrubia, who said collation of data from the field were still ongoing, observed that the heavy flood affected a number of farmlands, school buildings,health structures and other facilities.
He confirmed that the flooding affected several communities across the entire 8 Local Government Areas of the State.
Hon. Igrubia, made it clear that the preliminary reports and data available to SEMA and other agencies indicated that Bayelsa State remained the most flood impacted among states in the country.
The SEMA boss stated that he was delighted to hear that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq, has now acknowledged the fact that Bayelsa State is in the league of top ten most impacted states.
