No fewer than 500 households have been displaced in Okubuchi Community in Boki local government area of Cross River State following the torrential rainfall that fell in the community with strong windstorm.
The windstorm wreaked havoc on the community residents, pulling down roofs, while displacing many people. The residents are now taking refuge in their neighboring communities where they were able to find shelter.
Mr. Moses Atu, who identified himself as an expert in property development/management said the property lost to the windstorm is valued at about N1.5 billion.
A community leader in the area, Anthony Ewah-Obi, who conducted journalists round the affected community on Monday, said the windstorm hit the community on July 16, 2022 destroying houses and large number of economic trees.
The community leader said, “we have not had this kind of disaster before in our community. The windstorm destroyed over 100 houses including economic trees and other valuables.
“As we speak, over 500 households have been displaced as a result of the heavy windstorm. Many of them are now refugees in nearby communities. We are looking for federal and state government intervention because our people are stranded; it is not easy for a man and his family to seek refuge in a house that is not his”.
Lamenting the losses incurred, a victim of the windstorm incident, Sunday Otu, stressed that effect of the windstorm has been devastating to the extent of affecting education of his children, saying many parents have fled the community with their children to seek refuge elsewhere.
Otu solicited for help from both the federal and state government to come to their rescue.
Lawmaker representing Boki 2 constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hilary Bisong, sympathised with the victims over the destruction. Bisong called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the the victims possibly with relief materials as a way of providing succour to victims.
Also, Director-general, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency stated that the agency was aware of the misfortune and promised to channel the complain to appropriate quarters for action to be taken.
The SEMA DG said arrangements were being made by the agency to visit the area so as to ascertain the extent of damage and to possibly inform NEMA zonal office in the South-South geo-political zone for intervention.
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