Maiduguri Flood: Families still trapped in homes, says Save the Children

Families, including children, are still trapped in their homes following the heavy rains in Maiduguri, Borno State, as the worst flood in 30 years devastates the northeast region of the country.

This was revealed by Chachu Tadicha, Deputy Director, Programme Operations/Humanitarian at Save the Children in Nigeria.

According to reports, the flood has affected at least 239,000 people, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without shelter, clean water, food, healthcare, and education.

Additionally, this has now led to a heightened risk of water- and vector-borne diseases.

“The situation here is terrible,” Tadicha said. “Children and families are still trapped in their houses, and efforts are being made to rescue them. Half of the town has been submerged, and the roads are not passable.

“Two main hospitals are flooded, and stabilisation centres have been forced to suspend operations, just as the immense damage to water and sanitation services is driving up the risk of cholera and other water- and vector-borne diseases.

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“Schools have been suspended for two weeks—just as children were going back into learning after the holiday.

“We are working hard to deliver food assistance and other critical supplies to camps where people are sheltering, but the needs here are absolutely huge, and children and families here desperately need donors and the government to urgently ramp up support so that we can coordinate a proper response that meets the needs of children and families who have lost everything.”

The areas impacted by the incident are Shehuri, parts of the Government Residential Area (G.R.A.), Gambomi, Budum, Bulabulin, Adamkolo, Millionaires Quarters, Monday Market, and Gwange.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) announced that 10 internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps have been set up.

Zubaida Umar, Executive Director of NEMA, said that rescue equipment has been deployed to flood-affected states, and food and non-food items are being provided to affected persons.