DEVASTATING FLOODS CAUSE A CATASTROPHE IN NIGERIA OCTOBER 12, 2012 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

MAP OF NIGERIA

After torrential rains and the opening of Cameroon’s dams, a major river surge in the Niger River, Africa’s third longest, inundated the Niger River valley.

A PARADOX: More than 5.5 million Nigerians affected by drought are now being impacted by the worst flooding in eight decades.

It is typical for Nigeria to have heavy tropical rains from May to September and to have seasonal flash floods, BUT almost never on the scale of 2012

EXACERBATING FACTOR: Experts said flooding conditions were exacerbated by the opening of dams in the Republic of Cameroon a few weeks earlier, which caused the Niger River to burst its banks.

50 PERCENT OF LAND MASS INUNDATED IN MANY PLACES

WIDESPREAD INUNDATION

ALL REGIONS IMPACTED (Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa and Imo hit hard ) FOOD SUPPLIES DESTROYED CATTLE WASHED AWAY 300,000 CHILDREN FACING MALNUTRITION 91 DEAD

FAMILIES STRUGGLING JUST TO SURVIVE HAVE LOST EVERYTHING

INITIAL REPORTS Farmlands, paddy fields, cash crops, food resources, water resources, houses, schools, healthcare, centers, roads, and dams were damaged or destroyed.

SCHOOL GROUNDS INUNDATED

HOUSES INUNDATED

ROADS INUNDATED

Nigeria’s well known Lokoja-Abuja Road was submerged in the flood, making the road impassable and stranding commuters.

Economic Losses The direct and indirect losses arising from the flooding is so enormous that it is virtually impossible to calculate it in naira and kobo

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN FACING A NATIONAL DISASTER

IMMEDIATE ACTION: President Jonathan set up a 34-member national committee on flood relief and rehabilitation

Oxfam, an aid agency, reported that over 500,000 people were displaced as a result of the rising cholera rate

Schools and camps scattered across the state were quickly established to handle displaced persons.

FUTURE FLOOD CONTROL MEASURES Goodluck Jonathan’s administration plans to build embankments around the Niger and Benue confluence in Lokoja as part of regional measures to prevent future recurrences of flooding. The Kassambilla dam, now under construction, is expected to lessen the impacts of future flooding.

SOME GOOD NEWS: No reported impacts on Nigeria’s crude oil production