Director-General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Princewill Ayim, said over 51,000 persons were displaced from their houses due to continous flood within a three-month period.
Ayim made the statistics known to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday, adding that the destruction which damaged 4,370 houses, was due to the erection of structures along water channels and the blockage of drainages through dumping.
He said, “Between July to September, flood destroyed 4,370 houses and displaced over 51,000 people in 212 communities in Cross River.
“Some of the victims built their houses along the water channel and so they could not escape the flooding.
“Others had poor drainage systems around their locality while some of them were dumping refuse inside the drains, making it difficult for water to flow freely.
“We have carried out massive awareness campaigns to enlighten residents in the state to stop building along water channels and stop dumping refuse inside the drains.”
Ayim also noted that the state recorded 19 fire outbreaks within the third quarter of the year as well.