By David Odama

LAFIA — Flood from a thunderstorm that lasted many hours in Nasarawa State has left several houses destroyed with farmlands submerged in some villages.

Many household items worth millions of naira were destroyed by the flood leaving residents counting their losses.

When Vanguard visited some of the areas worst hit by the thunderstorm, several houses along the road were swallowed by flood while residents struggled to find remnants of their properties.

A resident of Angwan Mada behind Government College close to Doma Local Government Guest House, Sale Dauda, many houses collapsed under the raging flood and domestic animals swept away.

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Another victim of the flood, Joshua Amos, said farmlands have been destroyed, leaving farmers with little or nothing. He appealed to the Federal Government to intervene as the state government may find it difficult to tackle the perennial flooding alone.

“I lost almost everything to the flood,” he said, adding that the effect of the flood would be difficult to quantify “because of its sheer magnitude.”

The traditional ruler, Andoma of Doma, Ahmadu Aliyu Ogah, urged National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to come to the aid of the people of the area.

Andoma said the Nasarawa flood has caused a lot of havoc to their wares; running into hundreds of millions of naira. He added that many areas particularly in the surrounding town of Doma and villages are always submerged in flood whenever it rained.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Musa Ibrahim, told Vanguard that seven local government areas in the state are affected by serious floods.

He named Akwanga, Lafia, Doma, Nasarawa, Nasarawa Eggon, Karu and Toto local government areas as the vulnerable area.

Musa appealed to the Federal Government, through the ecological fund office, to assist the state in arresting the situation.

VANGUARD