As the duo of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its sister body, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) commence the distribution of relief materials to flood victims in Anambra State, Umuzu community in Ogbaru Council Area is said to be missing on the list of beneficiaries.
It was gathered that two hundred families were lost to the flood in Ogbaru local government.
So far a total of 61,070 persons who were displaced and affected were captured in the said list but non of the displaced persons, according to a report, were captured in the list.
In the list made available by the two agencies only seven local government areas were shortlisted out of the eight Council Areas and Umuzu community was not on the list.
Umuzu community was among the worst affected areas during the flooding; over two hundred families in the community were allegedly missing for about a month during the flooding.
Coordinator Umuzu flood committee as well as coordinator children of farmers club, Prince Chris Okwuosa said:
“We have made representations before the state government and the relevant agencies involved and even during the flood, no medical team visited Umuzu as was promised by the Commissioner for Health as well as the Chairman Ogbaru local government area.
“This is a community that had over two hundred families missing and exposed to the cholera epidemic and the authorities did not find it proper to include Umuzu,” he said.
In a letter to the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, the community demanded items which include the provision of fishing gear and other tools to victims’ households as well as creating a value chain that would take harvested fish from them for further processing.
“We need the appointment of coordinators to oversee these activities in the affected Communities and council areas.
“The children of farmers club with her wide range of experience in coordination of various agricultural-related empowerment activities in rural communities as well as having facilities for fish processing is best suited to coordinate these activities across the state.
“Your Excellency may wish to approve the provision of the following for distribution to two thousand households in the flood-affected communities:
“1,000 rolls or bundles of fishing nets; one operational vehicle for distribution across affected communities as well as logistics for distribution and funds as take-off grants,” he said.
Credit: Daily Sun