Greetings!
Last year, my immediate younger brother had a farm, and I thought he would do multiple crop farming. However, he settled on cultivating only yam. When I asked him why he chose yam instead of adding at least cassava, he said it was because of flooding. Flooding destroys farms in the area whenever it occurs, and people have resorted to planting crops with short maturity times so they can harvest them before fleeing due to the floods. You see the kind of life they're living?? Most times even in their accurate calculation and timing, flood still destroy their farming economy.
Flooding has been a major natural disaster we face in my part of the world.
It happens almost every year, rendering many people homeless for a period, yet these people return to their lives in the same places after the water dries up, only to face the same problem the next year. I live in the southern part of Nigeria, and the city I live in is also prone to floods. Although the severe ones happen occasionally, the neighboring cities and communities experience home-damaging floods every year.
The last flood that occurred in my city made me very scared, praying it wouldn't reach the area where I live. I wondered where I would stay or where I would pack my belongings because people affected relocated to the different cities entirely.
During that period, people's items were damaged, with water reaching up to window level in houses. I kept sympathizing with those in the affected areas as they lost home appliances, beds, clothes, and likely their hard-earned school certificates. It was so bad. Moreover, buildings soaked in water for a long time are at risk of being damaged. Flooding is just not good!
During that period, the university in my city was put on suspension because half of the school was flooded. Students needed to swim to get to their classes, so schooling was paused. Major roads leading to the city was totally covered with flood to the extent that vehicles couldn't drive through.
My city is blessed with fish; just a small gathering of water, and you'll see fishes in the water. In the flooded areas, people turned them into fishing spots. Maybe we can see that as an advantage. Lol😂
Flooding is coming again
I love listening to the radio, and there have been announcements of incoming floods in the prone areas of the state. It's said that this time, it will be very disastrous. Announcements have been made, informing people in the prone areas to start harvesting their crops, catching fish in their ponds, and gradually relocating to higher ground before the flood comes. The government will organize a refugee camp for the affected victims who don't have anywhere to go.
I keep imagining how miserable life must be for these people, constantly fleeing their homes because of floods. How long will they have to continue like this?
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to Day 21 of #julyinleo prompts
| Photos are mine |