Three people have lost their lives, while 22 others were injured in the 2023 flood disaster in Gombe State.

The disaster also killed seven animals, destroyed 1,838 houses and 257 farmlands between May and October, 2023.

Executive Secretary, Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Abdullahi Abdullahi, disclosed this yesterday, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Abdullahi said eight out of the 11 Local Councils in the state experienced the disaster as against three councils predicted in the 2023 flood Outlook.

He listed Akko, Funakaye, Balanga, Gombe, Nafada, Kaltungo, Shongom and Yamaltu/Deba  as the worst hit areas.

The Secretary said rains accompanied by strong windstorm ravaged farmlands causing damage to the farmers in the affected communities.

The government, he said, distributed relief materials to victims of the disaster to assuage their sufferings.

According to him, the state is making an effort to expand the scope of the support services to all the affected communities.

“Governor Inuwa Yahaya has approved relief materials to some communities affected.
“We have also submitted reports of flooding in the remaining communities  and efforts are on to also provide relief materials to them,” he said.

He added that the agency had written to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the North East Development Commission (NEDC), to facilitate support to the victims.
On the impact of the  flood, Abdullahi said: “There was a drop in the number of lives lost, as a result of sensitisation activities.

“Upon receiving flood alerts from NiMet and NASA, Gov. Yahaya directed massive sensitisation as well as activation of emergency response to mitigate the impact of the disaster.

“This helped in creating awareness amongst residents of the state.”
While commending the state government for supporting the victims of the flood, Abdullahi appealed to those yet to be reached to exercise patience.

“The state government and other relevant agencies are aware of your plight and making efforts to assist you and I assure you as soon as we receive the materials, we will reach out to the affected communities,” he added.