Torrential floodwaters have submerged homes, farmlands and businesses in Ikot Okpora Community in Cross River State, triggering a full-blown humanitarian crisis and forcing hundreds of residents to flee their ancestral homes.

The devastating flood, which struck following days of heavy downpour and overflow from nearby river channels, has left entire compounds underwater, with footage obtained from the disaster zone showing a heartbreaking scene of residential buildings submerged up to window level, household properties floating, and makeshift commercial stalls half-covered in murky brown water.

As at Friday, many families were still stranded, perched on rooftops and makeshift platforms, while others huddled under tarpaulins on the only patches of dry land left. The community, known for its farming and petty trading, has been cut off, with access roads completely impassable.

Speaking to our correspondent from a makeshift shelter where he and his wife are currently taking refuge, a community leader, Chief Ugumanim Okpora, broke down in tears as he described the situation as the worst in over 30 years.

“Water has taken over everywhere. All our property is gone. My house, my farm, my shop – everything is under water. We have been here since morning without food. Please help us come to our rescue before people start dying. No food, no water, people are dying here,” he cried out.

Another resident, Mrs. Affiong Bassey, a mother of four, said her children have not eaten since Wednesday night and have been exposed to cold and mosquitoes.

“We have nowhere to go. The water came at night and took everything. We are begging the government to hear our cry. Our children are sick, we have no drinking water,” she said.

Sources in the community told the Guardian that the flood has destroyed property worth millions of naira, washed away cassava, maize and vegetable farms ready for harvest, and crippled local economic activities. Fish ponds, poultry farms and local market stalls were also swept away, leaving livelihoods in ruins.

Youth leader of the community, Comrade Effiong Okon, said the community has made frantic efforts to reach emergency agencies but help is yet to come. He warned that if urgent intervention is not provided, outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea may compound the crisis.

“This is beyond what we can handle as a community. We need boats to evacuate our elderly and children. We need immediate palliatives. This is a disaster zone,” Okon said.

The affected persons are appealing passionately to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and the Cross River State Government to urgently deploy rescue teams, relief materials, medical supplies and evacuation support to the area.

They also called on the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, as well as public-spirited individuals, to come to their aid.

The Ikot Okpora disaster underscores the recurring existential threat seasonal flooding poses to riverside and low-lying communities across Nigeria’s coastal and riverine regions, particularly in Cross River and the wider Niger Delta, where poor drainage infrastructure, deforestation, overflowing rivers and heavy rainfall continue to displace thousands annually.

Environmental experts have repeatedly warned that climate change, indiscriminate building on waterways and blocked drainage channels have worsened flooding in the state, yet little has been done in terms of long-term flood control.

When contacted, officials of SEMA said they were yet to receive official briefing on the Ikot Okpora incident but promised to investigate.

As at press time, no rescue team had arrived in the community, while residents warn that without immediate intervention, the humanitarian situation could spiral into a full-blown crisis with loss of lives.