A 21 years old pregnant woman, Mrs. Ozoemena Ugbaga has been confirmed dead while three other persons are currently missing following a flood disaster that ravaged Inyimagu and Ekpa-Omaka communities in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi State.
Confirming the incident, the State’s Commissioner for Human Capital Development, Mrs. Ann Aligwe said that apart from the deceased who is a mother of three children and the missing persons, several others also sustained various degrees of injuries while trying to escape from the flood.
Mrs. Aligwe said that the state witnessed heavy downpour between July 18 and 20 which affected various communities in the state.
The Commissioner mentioned the affected communities to include Unagoke, Mgbo-Mgbaja and Onuebia in Onuebonyi axis of Izzi local government area, as well as Igbudu and Ekpa-Omaka communities in Ikwo local government area of the State.
“On the 18th and 19th, we witnessed several flooded areas in Abakaliki. We visited the areas and discussed with the victims. On 20th, we witnessed another heavy downpour that lasted for several hours.
“All the axis of Onuebonyi, Unagoke, Mgbo-Mgbaja and Onuebi. We went to all the areas to discuss and evacuated all the victims in the area.
“When we thought that the flood had subsided, we had a terrible report that there was a severe flood in Igbudu and Ekpa-Omaka in Ikwo local government. A pregnant woman died in the flood disaster. We have three others missing.
“We have visited the area. We had to use boat to access other Communities in the area,” the Commissioner said.
She noted that apart from the farmlands that were destroyed, properties were also destroyed by the flood.
“Most of the rice, yam and cassava farms were all destroyed. It is unfortunate that we lost a life. We have been urging people living around the waterways to relocate to other areas or the IDP camps,” she added.
The Commissioner expressed regrets that despite the sensitisation and enlightenment programmes by the state government for people to relocate, the people did not adhere to the warnings.
“We never knew we will have such a sad story,” she lamented.
Mrs. Aligwe said that on hearing the ugly incident, Governor Francis Nwifuru immediately dispatched a rescue team to the area to evacuate all the victims who have now been safely relocated to a safer area.
She further noted that the Governor has also mandated the Ministry to communicate the incident to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), noting the level of devastation for possible distribution of relief materials to the affected victims.
Aligwe also disclosed that her ministry has commenced distribution of relief materials to the affected persons, assuring that the state government will not relent in assisting the victims.
