Many residents facing difficult period in country battered by heavy rains, says head of National Emergency Management Agency
ABUJA, Nigeria
More than 100,000 people have been displaced in Nigeria due to floods triggered by torrential rains.
Speaking to reporters, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency, said Monday that many residents are going through a difficult period.
More than 300 people have been killed due to the floods and over 100,000 have been left homeless in 29 states as well as the capital Abuja, Ahmed said.
At least 500 people have been injured and more than 500,000 have been adversely affected by the disaster, he added.
Some of the flood victims have temporarily taken shelter in schools and public buildings in the surrounding area, he said, adding the government has set up temporary camps for some of them.
Efforts have been launched to deliver humanitarian aid to the public, he said, noting that infectious diseases such as cholera and malaria have also emerged due to the floods.
Climate change and environmental experts have warned that 53 million people in the country are at risk from flooding.
