Petition to Immediately Address the Plight of the Flood Ravaged Communities Along the Orashi Area of Rivers State
The State Director,
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Dear Sir,
PETITION TO IMMEDIATELY ADDRESS THE PLIGHT OF FLOOD RAVAGED COMMUNITIES ALONG THE ORASHI AREA OF RIVERS STATE
Between July and October 2012, heavy rains combined with rising water levels resulting from the runoff contributed to the flooding of human settlements located downstream of the Kainji, Shiroro, and Jebba dams on the Niger River; the Lagdo dam in Cameroun on the Benue River; the Kiri dam on the Gongola River; and several other irrigation dams. In some cases, the dams were damaged; in others, water had to be released at full force to avert an overflow. The flooding that followed in parts of Nigeria, pushed rivers over their banks and submerged hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 363 people were killed, 5,851 injured, 3,891,314 affected, and 3, 871,53 displaced due to the resulting floods.