Flood: Red Cross commences evacuation of victims in Anambra

*Lack of information, sea weeds and water hyacinth impede evacuation

The Nigerian Red Cross in Anambra state has now commenced evacuation of flood victims to the 28 designated camps set up by the government in the eight affected council areas of the State that were affected by this year’s flood.

This was amidst reports that water hyacinth and other sea plants that had grown on the Anambra River were posing serious challenges in the efforts at evacuating the flood victims in the state to designated safer areas.

Vice chairman of the Anambra State chapter of the Nigerian Red Cross, Prof Peter Katchy at the capacity building workshop for volunteers of the organization involved in the evacuation process in Awka, disclosed that the camps had been fully prepared and equipped to receive the flood victims.

The 28 designated Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps were located at Ogbaru(3), Ayamelum(6), Onitsha North(4), Onitsha South(2), Awka North(3), Ihiala(2), Ekwusigo(2) and Anambra East(6) and have been equipped with the necessary facilities including tents, mattresses, blankets, water and toilet facilities.

The involvement of Red Cross in the exercise was reportedly due to the reluctance of most of the victims to vacate their flooded homes in apparent fear of the unknown. 

This is according to one of the victims named Sunday Madubueze from Anambra West council of the state.

He said it was due to lack of proper sensitization and education of the affected persons. 

He said that the unpleasant experience of 2012 where they were abandoned for a reasonable length of time by the different levels of government appeared to have remained fresh in their memories.

But Prof Katchy stated that though some of the victims were reluctant to leave their flooded homes, the volunteers had been trained to counsel them by reminding them that it would be in their best interest to relocate to safer locations pending when the flood recede.

The Red Cross boss noted that as the first respondent to any emergency, the Red Cross was prepared to handle the situation and urged people in the affected communities to adhere to the advice of the volunteers working in their areas.

While admitting that the ongoing recession in the country was affecting the evacuation process, Katchy observed that Red Cross usually excelled more during crisis situations.

Hear him, “As part of the emergency management and risk reduction strategies against the 2016 riverine flooding, Red Cross and other relevant agencies have provided the basic infrastructure and facilities such as roads, communication and systems, aimed at making it easier for more efficient search –and-rescue responses.

“We have also carried out vigorous awareness campaigns and public education on risk treatment and reduction strategies and inaugurated integrated community –based disaster risk reduction programmes such as emergency management committees, extension services on modern farming techniques and deployed hydrographic information to determine peak flow periods and characteristics to be able to reliably predict flood periods.”

From Chuks Collins, Awka

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