The Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), says it distributed relief materials to 47,551 flood and fire disaster victims across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state in 2020.
SEMA Chairman, Mr Usman Aliyu-Jili, who stated this on Friday in Kano, while reviewing the agency’s activities for 2020, added that the agency distributed
bags of cement, nails, roofing sheets, food items and clothing materials to the affected persons ”to mitigate their sufferings”.
He said that 34,180 households were affected by flood, 2,741 by fire outbreaks, while 10,630 farmers lost their farmlands to flooding, during the year under review, adding that the damage assessment exercise conducted by the agency showed that the houses were destroyed by rain and windstorm, while the flood submerged farmlands.
“About N2 billion worth of landed property and farm produce were destroyed by the flood disaster in the state,” Aliyu-Jili said, adding, ”We submitted the damage assessment report to the state government and requested for N1 billion fund to enable us render further assistance to the victims.”
According to him, the agency had set up emergency committees at the local government level to enhance its response services, in addition to 13 centres it established to take care of the elderly, homeless and the destitute.
He said the centres, sited at Bichi, Danbatta, Gaya, Wudil, Karaye, Tudunwada, Minjibir, Dorayi and Shahuci, were designed to provide shelter, feeding, clothing and rehabilitation to the affected persons.
Aliyu-Jili commended the state government for its support to the agency and urged wealthy individuals to also support the centres, to further improve the wellbeing of victims.