Over 500 houses destroyed, pregnant woman, nine others injured in Bauchi rainstorm
Over 500 houses destroyed, pregnant woman, nine others injured in Bauchi rainstorm
Story from Ahmed SAKA, Bauchi
A pregnant woman and nine others were injured as a rainstorm wreaked havoc, destroying over 500 houses in the Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Hon. Salisu Hussain Hardawa, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Misau local government area, confirmed the incident while speaking with journalists in Bauchi.
He expressed concern for the affected households, who found themselves in a difficult and sympathetic situation that requires swift response.
All ten injured victims were promptly taken to Misau General Hospital for medical attention. The pregnant woman is currently in the labor room, while a woman with a broken leg was transferred to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Azare.
Hardawa mentioned that Governor Bala Mohammed has dispatched the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to assess the situation.
The Chairman sympathized with the victims of the rainstorm and prayed to God to prevent future occurrences and restore what they had lost due to this natural disaster.
Hardawa called on the Bauchi State government to intervene by providing relief materials to alleviate the effects of this unfortunate incident on the victims.
He also expressed gratitude that no lives were lost and attributed the damage to the poor tree planting practices prevalent in the northern part of Bauchi state.
He appealed to the general public to embrace the culture of tree planting in order to combat desert encroachment.
Despite the present economic hardships, the affected people in Misau have lost properties worth millions of Naira, according to Hardawa.
Bala Yakubu Lame, the Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, stated that they are assessing the situation and will submit a report to the state government for necessary intervention.
One of the victims, Ibrahim Abubakar Yunusa, described how the rainstorm had completely destroyed fences and houses in the affected area.
He expressed the difficulties they currently face and highlighted the correlation between the rainstorm and global warming, as well as the indiscriminate felling of trees leading to desert encroachment.
Yunusa appealed for assistance from the government and urged them, along with civil society organizations, to launch a vigorous sensitization and awareness campaign about the importance of tree planting to address this situation.
Mohammed Yakubu (KANI), the Misau Local Government Secretary of the Red Cross Society of Nigeria, confirmed that many houses had been affected by the incident.
He mentioned that in some places, walls had collapsed on occupants, resulting in minor injuries. He expressed gratitude to God that no lives had been lost thus far.
KANI cautioned residents against indiscriminate tree felling and emphasized that desert encroachment, improper waste disposal, building on waterways, and blocking drainages were contributing factors to this tragic incident.