Floods In Nigeria Have Killed More Than 100 People
The government has declared the flooding a national disaster.
Heavy rains, which caused the Niger River and Benue River to overflow have caused major flooding in Nigeria's southwest and central regions.
The flooding, which began last week, has displaced thousands of people and killed around 100, mostly in the country's rural areas where farmland has been wiped away, reports BBC Africa.
Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) has called the flooding a national disaster in four states, according to Sahara Reporters, as more downpour is expected. President Muhammadu Buhari has allocated $8.2 million in relief to the affected areas, The New York Times reports.
According to BBC reporters on the ground, there have been 12 states affected by flooding, including Kwara, Benue, Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Bayelsa, Edo, Anambra, Rivers and Delta, but the flooding appears to have hit Niger State the hardest, where around 40 people have been killed. Residents are being urged to evacuate.
The Economic Times puts the number of people displaced so far at around 30,000.
Severe flooding in Nigeria occurs annually. Many believe devastation is exacerbated by lack of proper drainage systems and blocked waterways . Last September, an estimated 100,000 people were displaced by flooding that occurred in the central region, specifically in Benue State.
According to Al Jazeera, state officials have said water levels are close to those of the 2012 floods, which forced millions of Nigerians to leave their homes.
Many online have expressed dissatisfaction with, what some believe, is a lack of coverage of the floods in the media, especially when compared with the media attention that Hurricane Florence in North Carolina has received.