Authorities in Borno State are working to provide shelter for residents who have been displaced by severe flooding caused by the collapse of a dam in northeast Nigeria. The flooding has affected a million people, according to the state governor, and has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
Local officials have described the flooding as the worst in the state in two decades, with heavy rains causing a dam to overflow and leading to the destruction of thousands of homes. The collapse of the dam also resulted in a state-owned zoo being decimated, with crocodiles and snakes being washed into flooded communities.
Rescue operations are underway, with civilians using limited diving equipment to save as many people as they can. So far, authorities have not announced any deaths due to the flooding. Vice President Kashim Shettima visited displaced individuals and promised to provide them with food, shelter, and medicine, although there are reports that very few supplies have reached those affected.
The flooding has raised concerns about waterborne diseases spreading in the area, as a quarter of the state capital, Maiduguri, has been flooded. This crisis comes on top of the existing humanitarian challenges in Borno State, which has been grappling with a rebellion by the Boko Haram armed group for the past decade.
The National Emergency Management Agency has reported that floods in Nigeria have killed 229 people since the beginning of the year. The worst flooding in recent years occurred in 2022, claiming the lives of 600 people.
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