By Ochuko Akuopha

OLEH—ABOUT 107  flood victims were weekend, evacuated from Aballa-Oshimili, Utchi-Okumedo and Utchi-Umuochi communities, Ndokwa-East Local Government Area, Delta State. This came as over 35 houses were submerged and farmlands overtaken by the ravaging flood at Abuator in the council area. Vanguard gathered that the flood victims were evacuated in boats by the flood rescue team set up by the Ndokwa-East Local Government council and driven in buses to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camp at Ashaka.

Speaking with newsmen at the IDP camp, the council Chairman, Mrs. Nkechi Chukura, decried what she described as the pitiable condition of the flood victims, and said the state and the local government council were committed to ensuring the safety of the people and their property.

She, however, expressed dissatisfaction at the reluctance of some residents of some of the communities affected by flood to relocate from the areas, saying:  “I do not know why the people are refusing to come out. Though some of them are willing to come out, the number of persons that are willing to come out is not as much as we expect because of what we have seen on ground.

“Some of the communities are fully submerged, and they are living right inside the water. I want to appeal to the state government to continue to appeal to them to come out because they are in danger. The children in particular are in great danger. We need to get them out of these places because what may happen may not be good at all because of the level of the water.”

While disclosing that the state government was preparing to take over the IDPs, she said:  “As a local government, we may not be able to cater for them all the way, so we are doing what we can. The state government is putting up an IDP camp in Kwale, but for now that they are not much, we are doing all we can as a local government.” At the time of filling this report, 82 IDPs were in the camp as others were said to have chosen to live with relatives in neighbouring communities.