Over 2,000 houses and 30,000 residents were displaced by a massive flood which ravaged Kaduna State on Monday.
One death was recorded in Lere Local Government Area of the state, according to the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Ezekiel Baba-Karik.
He said the flood was one of the worst in the history of the state.
It was gathered that 10 local government areas were affected by the downpour that started on Saturday and lasted till the early hours of Monday.
The Kaduna metropolis, Barnawa, Tudun-wada, and Rafinguza were badly affected.
James Aboki, who resides on Kigo Road, told our correspondent that when the rain started, some residents of the area called on emergency workers, but nobody showed up.
However, our correspondent learnt that most of the roads were submerged by the flood, making it difficult for emergency workers to access the affected areas.
Also, part of the link road housing the residence of former Vice President Namadi Sambo, at Ungwan-Rimi in Kaduna North Local Government, and the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel in Kaduna South Local Area were ravaged by the flood.
The authorities of the Kingdom Heritage Model School, owned by the Winners’ Chapel, ordered their pupils to stay away from the school premises because of the flood.
An electronic short message from the school management read, “Heaven on Earth greetings, all parents of KHMS Barnawa are, please advised to keep their wards at home until the school premises is free from flood water. You shall be duly informed accordingly. Thanks, School Management.”
A light bridge along Aliyu Makama Road, Barnawa, which links the area to the city centre, was completely submerged by the flood. This forced motorists and tricycle riders to take alternative routes, causing traffic gridlock in the southern part of the state.
Thousands of houses were destroyed and many residents rendered homeless, as farmlands were equally washed away.
Though the residence of the former Vice President was spared, his neighbours who built their houses close to the Kaduna River bank were hit by the disaster.
Our correspondent who visited the affected area watched as residents struggled helplessly to salvage their belongings while canoe paddlers made a brisk business as they ferried those trapped to safety.
One of the canoe paddlers, who would not want his names in print, told our correspondent that he charged those badly affected between N10,000 and N20,000 to ferry them and their belongings to safety.
“We started collecting N8,000 per head but now, we charge N20,000,” he said.
Specifically, a resident of Ungwan Rimi, who confided in our correspondent, claimed that the flooding was not caused by the rain, as it was being claimed, but that a dam was open somewhere without the authorities concerned alerting the residents.
Our correspondent observed a residential house along Yakowa Way on the Eastern By-pass that was submerged by the flood. The whereabouts of the occupants were still unknown as of the time of filing this report.
Femi Adi of The News magazine, one of the victims of the flood at the Kudenda area in Chikun Local Government Area of the state, told our correspondent that his house and other neighbours within the vicinity were submerged.
He said over 50 houses located along the river side were completely destroyed.
“It’s quite unfortunate that we could not help it. We saw our houses being taken over by water and we could not do anything,” he said.
He added, “I was here at the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ secretariat (Kaduna) doing my story when I was called that flood was gradually taking over the area, but by the time I left and got to the house, the damage had been done.”
When contacted, spokesman for the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, Abubakar Adamu, told our correspondent that relief workers were still going round the state in their rescue operation.
But the Executive Secretary of the body, Mr. Ezekiel Baba-Karik, confirmed the death of one person, saying that about 10 local government areas were affected by the flood.
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