නයිජීරියානු ගංවතුරෙන් ලක්ෂ ගණනක් පීඩාවට

Thousands displaced, properties destroyed by floods in northeast Nigeria

Devastating floods since Tuesday have destroyed the homes and businessnes of thousands of residents in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, forcing them to be evacuated to seek shelter in local displacement camps.

The floods, described by local officials as the "state's worst," resulted from the collapse of the Alau Dam on the Ngadda River in Borno on Tuesday. The state government said on Wednesday that the dam was at capacity due to unusually heavy rains.

Once bustling streets in Maiduguri now lie underwater, forcing residents to evacuate their submerged homes and seek shelter in local displacement camps.

"The water entered my house last night around 2 a.m. We removed our belongings and sought refuge at the Bakasi internally displaced persons camp. I have nowhere else to go," said Mallam Adamu, a displaced resident.

In addition to destroying homes, the floods swept away livelihoods. Local businessman Muhammed Bakura's shop, stocked with computers and electronics, is now underwater, leaving him with nothing but losses.

"All our shops have been overrun by the floods. We've lost properties and we are still counting our losses. There are lots of computers and there is no way to take them out," Bakura said.

Unfortunately, many residents are facing heartbreaking losses as some of their neighbors did not survive the floods.

"We were running from one house to another, seeking refuge in a neighbor's house on an upper level. Unfortunately, our attempts were in vain as the upper area also got flooded. After emerging from the house, we discovered that the individual who aided us on the upper level did not survive," said Aishatu Ali, another displaced resident.

Nearly 40 people have lost their lives, and over 414,000 others have been affected by the floods, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Nigeria on Friday.

At least 14 official camps, along with numerous informal ones, have been opened for displaced residents with a capacity to accommodate over two million people, as stated by an official from the National Emergency Management Agency on Friday.

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