By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
Tears, destruction and uncertainty have enveloped parts of Akaeze in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State after torrential rainfall destroyed houses and farmlands worth millions of naira, leaving more than 134 residents affected and in urgent need of assistance.
The affected communities, including Umueze Akaze ukwu, Amaegbo Umobor , Umuewo ndobiachi Umobor , were hit by the flood in the early hours of yesterday, with residents counting their losses and appealing to the government to urgently come to their rescue.
For some of the victims, the disaster has not only washed away their homes and farmlands but also their means of livelihood, leaving families worried about where to begin rebuilding their lives.
Speaking amid the devastation, some of the victims, including Igube John and Chinyere Irem Abiam, Ezinne Mary Chinelo, Chinelo Ejem among others cried out to the government and other well-meaning individuals to come to their aid.
They appealed for immediate intervention, particularly as many of them depend on farming for their livelihood and have now lost valuable crops and property to the flood.
Responding to the plight of the victims, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, donated N5 million to support those affected by the disaster.
Odii, who was represented during the visit by the PDP state chairman, Chukwuma Igwe, also commiserated with the victims and sympathised with them over their losses.
PDP stakeholders with some of the victims
Igwe said the party was alerted to the disaster by the PDP chairman in the local government, Engr. Dike, and his secretary, prompting the visit to the affected communities.
“It is a thing of tears, but now it has happened. I remember that more than two months ago, NIMET had been announcing places that are prone to flood and telling people and government to try and look into the likely causes of floods to avoid this kind of disaster.
“I’m very aware that there are causes of this flood, either something or heavy rain.
“We are here to condole with you and sympathise with you and show you that we are human beings. We were somewhere when the cry of the PDP local government chairman, Engr. Dike, and his secretary reached us,” Igwe said.
He said the party would work towards ensuring that the Federal Government was made aware of the situation and that intervention was sought through the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
According to him, the assistance provided by Odii was not presented as a substitute for government intervention but as an immediate effort to help alleviate the suffering of the victims.
He added that if elected, the Odii administration would seek to address the underlying causes of flooding in the affected areas to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Also speaking, the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Ohaivo Constituency, Engr. Felix Igboke, stressed that the intervention was being made by the party and not the government.
“What we are doing today, we are doing it as a party and not as a government. Government intervention will come, but if they don’t come, we will make sure it gets to it,” Igboke said.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Darlington Peter Onwe described the incident as a major humanitarian crisis, saying the scale of the destruction required urgent attention.
He said Odii, upon receiving information about the disaster, quickly summoned party stakeholders for immediate intervention, including the House of Representatives candidate for the Ohaivo Constituency.
With houses damaged, farmlands destroyed and families left counting their losses, the victims’ appeal now extends beyond immediate relief to sustained intervention that can help them rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and address the factors responsible for the recurring flood disaster.