Hello Friends
I greet you all according to your time my dear Hives friends, I must commend that this period, as we are currently facing a huge natural disaster in our area. Am delighted to be sharing my views on this topic that I titled Natural Disaster In My Area. Hives for better life.
Natural Disaster as we all know is a sudden disastrous event, caused by natural environmental factors on earth, usually leading to death, loss of properties. Without wasting time, let me go straight to what I have for us today.
About The Natural Disaster In My Area
Let me start by telling you that I come from a riverine area in the southern part of Nigeria (Delta State precisely). Is no longer a secret that my state tends to experience flooding every year, and sometimes neighboring states and region are also affected. But it has been observed that this year's flood has gone passed the normal limits.
You would agree with me that flooding is one of the popular natural occurance that has caused havoc in the world today. The massive flooding in Nigeria can be traced back to the 1970's - 1980's, when the Nigerian government failed to adhere to the agreement between them and the Cameroonian authorities. The two nations agreed to create two different Dams (refers to a structure that is placed across a flowing body of water to help prevent the flow of water through a certain direction and in most cases used to generate power supply).
The Cameroonian authorities successfully completed their Dam in 1982 which they called the Lagdo dam, but the Nigerian government fail to complete it's own, and that is what is causing this massive flooding today. The presence of the Nigerian Dam would have helped control the flow of the water released from the Cameroon dam, thereby avoiding flooding and controlling the massive flow of water.
Areas Affected and Damages Recorded So Far
It has been observed and revealed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that this is by far the worst disaster that has affected the country in several years, as a good number of states in Nigeria including Delta, Bayelsa .Rivers. Jigawa. Adamawa, Bauchi. Kogi.Katsina. Anambra. Abuja. Nasarawa. amongst others have been affected by the flood
The Major Cause of This Flood
Like I said earlier, the Nigerian government failed to avoid this disaster from the very beginning. The dam that was supposed to be constructed in Nigeria (Dasin Hausa Dam) was meant to be 2½ times bigger than the Cameroon Lagdo dam, but unfortunately the government of Nigeria are yet to complete that very dam up till this moment. So whenever water is released from the Cameroon Lagdo dam, it flows uncontrollably to the Nigerian rivers (especially the river Niger and river benue), causing massive flood and havoc every year.
The situation report in my state (Delta ) has it that over 300 communities with not less than 700,000 people are currently affected.
It saddens me to experience/witness such disaster in my area, as the flood has affected the financial and economic sector of the state by destroying properties, farmlands and crops.
I bet it will be very difficult for affected individual to recover from this loss even after this disaster is over.
The means of food supply have been cut short, as vehicles conveying food items from the North to the South and vice versa have been stranded on the road for weeks now due to the massive water flow on the major roads in the country.
Prior Alerts From The Government On The Flood
Of course there were warnings across major states in the country by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) few months before the occurrence of the flood. The Cameroon authorities gave their warnings too, as they were about to open the Lagdo dam again.
It was after the ravaging flood disaster that occurred in 2012, that the Nigerian government met the Cameroonian authorities to discuss how best to handle the issue of releasing water from the Lagdo dam, which has been causing the flood. It ended in an agreement that the Cameroonian authorities will always inform the Nigerian government anytime they decides to open the Lagdo dam, so that proper precautions would be taken before the release of the water to prevent loss of lives and properties. But clearly this has not solved the problem, as more people are affected every year as a result of this occurrence.
What To do In Flood Situations Like The One Facing Me Now
To be sincere, the best thing to do in situations like this is to stay safe as best as you can. I never believed that this flood disaster will get to my house because It was located in the upper region of the state.
A round down of the basic things to do in this situation includes:
Listen to the latest news on the level of the flood, and if it has gotten close to you, look for the next available high land to go because I have seen a situation were a family drowned overnight due to neglegiance of this instruction.
While walking try to avoid moving waters, as about 8 inches of water is enough to fall you, get a canoe if possible.
Try not to drive into moving water in such situations, as this could result to a sink and drowning of you and your car.
Conclusion
This is for sure one of the biggest natural disaster that has occurred in the country in decades, and instead of the government to seek possible ways to complete the Dam at Adamawa, they prefer to annually alert the nation on floods. In situations like this, it always advisable to stay safe and pray for God's intervention. Pray for Delta state, pray for Nigeria.
Note: All Images were taken by me using my Infinx phone
Thanks for your time here....