Severe floods have hit northeastern Nigeria, a conflict zone plagued by constant attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, killing at least 30 people, destroying hundreds of homes and affecting the livelihoods of more than a million residents.
The flood caused by the collapse of the Alau Dam Damaged Farms, businesses, schools, hospitals and even the Gwange Cemetery were flooded, with witnesses reporting seeing bodies from the cemetery floating in the streets.
Even more worrying is Reports Flooding has swept dangerous reptiles, including crocodiles and poisonous snakes, from the Borno State Museum Park into the streets. Managers say the floods have killed up to 80 percent of the zoo's animals, while the rest have been evacuated.
The Alau Dam collapsed on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters more destructive than the last major breach nearly three decades ago. Officials in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, said about 15 percent of the city was now underwater.
Borno state Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said on Wednesday his state government was struggling to distribute food and emergency funds to one million people affected by the floods. He said the full extent of the damage and death toll was still unknown.
Zulum added that Maiduguri city was bracing for a second disaster from diseases spread by the floods. He said an emergency health committee had been established.
“The water has completely flooded the area and we can see that the sewer system has been completely flooded, which means that water-borne diseases can be transmitted; Inshallah [as Allah wills], “We should get over it,” he said.
Maiduguri residents reported food shortages because markets, restaurants and warehouses were submerged, and told reporters they feared the death toll could be more than double the 30 reported by authorities because many people, including many children, were still missing.
Emergency managers in Borno state said they had rescued more than 700 people from rooftops and trees, with hundreds more reportedly trapped in flooded hospitals.
The region was already experiencing a major humanitarian crisis due to Boko Haram, a terrorist group allied with ISIS that has killed hundreds of people and displaced millions. Attacked Terrorists attacked another town on Wednesday morning, opening fire on soldiers as residents took cover indoors. The attack was repelled by military forces supported by local vigilantes and hunters. 21 terrorists were reported killed in the fighting, including two vigilantes who were trying to defend the town of Bassa.
