Many Missing as Flood Destroys 300

More than 300 houses were destroyed by
flood which swept through some
communities in Plateau State at the
weekend.
The residents said several people had
been declared missing after several hours
of downpour which affected five local
government areas including Jos North,
Barkin Ladi, Kanam and Shendam. A
resident of Kanam said many persons
were still missing and many livestock and
farmlands had been washed away.
According to him, the people of the
affected communities are still counting
their losses.
The rain, which started in the afternoon,
lasted for close to four hours, resulting in
the devastating flood. The Executive
Secretary of the State Emergency
Management Agency, SEMA, Alhaji
Alhasan Barde, who spoke with our
correspondent on phone, confirmed the
incident. He, however, said he was yet to
receive accurate figures of the houses
destroyed and those killed.
Barde said there was flooding in Jos
North, Barkin Ladi, Kanam and Shendam
local governments where houses were
destroyed. He said: “As I speak with you, I
am on the spot assessment of the
affected areas and would give you the
exact figures after the assessment.”
The SEMA boss advised the residents of
the state not to build their houses on
waterways. The state government had, at
the beginning of this year’s raining
season, appealed to those living on
waterways to relocate to the hinterlands
to avoid possible flood