Reference :
V-F-CR-F-03533-N
Date :
03/11/2022
Title :
Nigeria : millions in need of urgent aid after widespread flooding causes massive destruction
Duration :
00:07:23
Editor :
unknown
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Production company :
ICRC
ICRC producer :
SYNENKO, Alyona
Description :
Widespread flooding in Nigeria has damaged homes, infrastructure, displaced millions of people and wiped-out large swathes of farmland, leaving communities struggling to salvage this year’s harvest.
“It is a disaster. Really it is a disaster because all my effort is in my farm,” said Boyomoso Eli, a farmer in Wuro Dadi, a community on the banks of the Benue River in Adamawa state, an area still recovering from the communal violence of 2019. “It affected me much because all the resources I have I put it on my farm thinking that I will harvest many things that will help me in life, but the flood went away with everything I have invested in.”
Seasonal rains have been pouring relentlessly since June, causing severe floods, which have affected 2.5 million people and left more than 500 dead, according to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Millions of people need lifesaving aid, including shelter, water, sanitation, food and emergency healthcare as waterborne diseases such as cholera spread.
“With more than 440, 000 hectares of land already impacted by this flood, the magnitude of its effect on food security can be better imagined,” said Benson Agbro, head of the Nigerian Red Cross Society’s disaster response.
According to authorities, nearly 20 million people were projected to be facing acute food insecurity in Nigeria. Crop losses and lower yields caused by the flooding are likely to worsen shortages and push food prices up. Food shortages are most acute in Nigeria’s north east states, which are affected by armed conflict and hit by flooding.
The Nigerian Red Cross is responding to the flooding by evacuating affected people to safer ground and raising awareness on water and sanitation and hygiene practices to ward off waterborne disease. According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, there were almost 11,000 cholera cases and 256 deaths nationwide at the beginning of October.
“We have also launched an appeal through the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) to the tune of 13 million Swiss francs,” said Benson Agbro. “But longer term we also need to build resilience to climate shocks as we know that communities affected by conflict are among the most vulnerable to climate change.”
Together, the Nigerian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are responding to the cholera outbreaks in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States also affected by a prolonged armed conflict. The response includes raising community awareness on prevention of cholera, improving access to water, distributing chlorine water purification tablets, constructing latrines, and delivering medical supplies to treat waterborne diseases.
As the planting season began in May, the ICRC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society supported around 282,000 farmers in Nigeria with agricultural supplies – seeds and tools – to help boost their food production. Around 47,000 people received cash to purchase their own agricultural supplies.
English title :
Nigeria : millions in need of urgent aid after widespread flooding causes massive destruction
Colour/B&W :
colour
SD/HD :
HD
Resolution :
1920 x 1080
Aspect ratio :
16/9
Original material/format :
H264
Best material/format available :
ProRes 422
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