Photo: Ahmed Abubakar Bature
Background
It was late at night, and the rain was falling heavily. Isa Umaru was sound asleep until the loud shouts of his neighbours woke him up. He quickly got up and woke his wife and children, worried that Boko Haram terrorists might be attacking their village, Shuwa, located in Madagali local government area of Adamawa State. Such sounds at night, according to Umaru, signalled an impending attack by the terrorists and people often ran away in fear when they heard that.
But this time, when Umaru went outside, he heard people running through the flooded streets. Many houses in their neighbourhood were already underwater, and his house was in danger of being flooded, too. He rushed inside and told his mother, two wives, and children to run away to safety.
As they ran away, Umaru saw many houses flooded and some even collapsing. Goats, sheep, chickens, and other valuable things were being washed away by the strong current. That night, 61-year-old Umaru and his family followed a solar-powered street light to find their way to safety. They eventually reached a church where they spent the night. “We slept inside the church that night. The people there opened it for us to enter, and we all sat there. They honoured us and didn’t discriminate against us because we are Muslims,” Umaru said.
The next morning, Umaru and his family returned to find their house collapsed. With nowhere else to go, they had to seek shelter at Shuwa Central Primary School, which had now become a camp for people displaced by the flood. “It’s due to the collapse of the bridge that helped the water flow away the next morning. If not, Shuwa by now would have completely turned to ruins,” Umaru stressed.
The Severity Of The Climate Crisis
The recent floods that ravaged northeastern Nigeria have left a trail of destruction with many lives and livelihoods lost. Bauchi State experienced severe flooding, with over 1,000 homes destroyed. Gombe and Yobe States also suffered substantial damage, affecting thousands of residents. In a separate incident this week, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, was struck by a sudden flood that displaced over a quarter million people. The disaster was reported to have unfolded when the Alau Dam broke its banks after heavy rains, leading to widespread flooding, damaging homes, businesses, and infrastructure like bridges, hospitals, and a zoo park.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dam overflowed in 1994 and that caused major flooding in Maiduguri. At that time, almost half of the city was underwater.
Now, the situation in Maiduguri is dire, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced, many injured or missing, and access to basic necessities such as food, water, and healthcare is limited. Rescue teams, including the Nigerian military, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and civilian volunteers, are working tirelessly to evacuate people from flooded areas to safer ground.
The Borno State government has reopened the Bakassi and Dalori internally displaced (IDP) camps to provide temporary shelter for displaced people and has promised to help those affected by the flooding. Experts, however, lamented that the flooding in Maiduguri was caused by the Borno state government’s neglect in maintaining the Alau Dam. In Adamawa, flooding was caused by several factors, including water releases from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and the Kiri Dam in Shelleng local government area of the state.
Also, urbanization is another problem causing flooding because people often build houses, roads and other infrastructure on waterways, which can block the flow of water and lead to flooding, as highlighted by Dr Ikur Edmund Hellaendendu, a climate reality leader based in Yola, Adamawa State.
Hellaendendu explained that as climate change factors like heavy rainfall and uncontrollable rainfall lead to major flooding, it comes with long-term environmental impacts that are so severe and cause disruptions in the climate conditions and ecosystem structures, “water pollution as a result of accumulation of dirt and toxins in the water, soil erosion and sedimentation leading to loss of fertility and other negative impacts on human health due to disease outbreaks like malaria, cholera and typhoid fever and worm infections,” he told Diaspora Africa.
The Flood’s Tragedy Hit Many
Like Umaru, Muhammed Isa was asleep that night with his wife and two children. He knew it was raining but didn’t realize how bad the flooding had become near the Shuwa River, which connected their community to other parts of Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria. It was his neighbour who came knocking on his door. Before he could open the door, he noticed that water had already flooded his room. “I first saved my children as my wife also ran. When I returned to pick up some of our items, I saw the building collapsing. I ran back to join my wife and the children,” he recounted. As they waded through the deep water, they kept slipping and falling but managed to stay afloat. Some people helped them reach a filling station that was not flooded. Many people spent the night there, as it was one of the few places that had not been submerged by the waters.
The next morning, 30-year-old Isa rushed to his house, only to find that everything was gone. All he saw were broken bricks and sand. The flood had destroyed all of his belongings and his wife’s as well. “I lost 6 goats and a cash of N50,000. My wife’s valuables were all gone. The mattress and our wooden bed. Her clothes too. It’s painful, but we thank God,” Isa told Diaspora Africa.
For Aishatu Bukar, the flood will forever be a haunting memory. That day, before the flood occurred, she had returned home from the hospital with her mother, who had suffered from a stomach ulcer for over two decades. At the hospital, she was told to give her mother medication around 9 or 10 p.m. After administering the medication at 10 p.m. that night, her mother asked to go outside to relieve herself. “After that, we slept and later on the rain stopped at around 12 p.m, so she woke me up to give her water to drink. When I went out, I heard the sound of the water coming with speed. I ran in and informed my mother about the situation,” Aishatu explained.
Outside, Aishatu heard people shouting for everyone to run away because of the flood. She turned on her flashlight and saw chickens and goats swimming in the water. Some neighbours helped her move her mother and children out of the house, which was already partially flooded. They went to stay at the filling station and the next morning, when Aishatu learned that all the buildings in their neighbourhood had collapsed. They had to move to the IDP camp for shelter.
An Emergency Response
Following the devastating flood on August 21, 2024, the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) sent a team to the Shuwa IDP camp to conduct an assessment.
“After sending the report [of the assessment], the governor provided some relief materials, and we were able to bring it to Shuwa. The items include 360 bags of 50kg rice, 446 bags of 25kg maize, 405 mattresses, and 10 blankets. 16 rolls of nylon mask, and 276 NFI kits. These were delivered by the deputy governor. The district head and other community leaders received the items and shared it across the affected people,” Suleiman Muhammad, the Emergency Officer of ADSEMA, said.
Due to the second flood that occurred on August 29, 2024, Diaspora Africa learned that there was an overwhelming influx of people at the IDP camp, and the available rooms were insufficient to accommodate them all. “That’s why we opened two other camps in Kwantama and Kwanmbula. We are seeing how we can have temporary shelters. So that we can decongest the rooms. Some shelter kits should be provided. Some can go and rebuild their houses, if possible. We have shortages of nylon masks, blankets, and mattresses,” Muhammad explained. “About 6 individuals lost their lives during the first flood and followed by other 7 people during the second flood.
Despite the shortages of resources, Muhammad continued that SEMA is doing its best. “We already referred the issue [flood] to the governor. He is planning to establish some dams that can at least contain the water to avoid the flood in the future. The NEDC is planning to renovate and even expand the bridges. If you can see, the bridges are too small to contain the water, and that’s one of the root causes of this flood. The Adamawa State government and NEDC are collaborating to fix that,” he shared.
The Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (PHCDA) is also actively involved in providing healthcare services to the flood victims. Bella Bello, a healthcare worker at the camp’s medical unit, reports that they are treating common ailments such as open wounds and severe anaemia. However, due to a shortage of drugs, they often refer patients to the Cottage Hospital Gulak and Mubi General Hospital. Thomas Tizhe, the Officer-in-Charge of the medical team at the Shuwa IDP Camp, noted that they have provided free healthcare services to over 500 patients. Ibrahim Abdu, the Executive Secretary of Madagali PHCDA, reports that malaria is the most common illness among flood victims.
Notwithstanding, the Nigerian Red Cross Society is also supporting the people displaced by the flood disaster. Abubakar Muhammed, the Red Cross Officer, shared that they are collaborating with ADSEMA and other organizations to distribute relief materials at the camp.
Mathias Suleiman, the Camp Chairman, reiterated that many people lost their homes and belongings during the disaster. “I have never seen this since I was born. It’s the first time we are experiencing this in Shuwa,” he said.
Suleiman is now working to ensure that everyone at the camp has a place to sleep, receives all relief materials that arrive, and has their healthcare needs met. While he acknowledged the government’s swift response in providing some relief materials, he emphasized the need for more efforts to help rebuild the lives of those displaced by the flood.
Having the camp provide shelter and food wasn’t enough for Hafsatu, who felt that they needed to be more patient to be able to live there. “You know there’s the pain of losing our houses and valuables and then the frustration you feel as a result of mingling with different people here within the camp,” she asserts, adding that when the flood reached their houses, she was one of the women who rushed out to make others aware. Now, as their house collapsed, their only option was the camp, Hafsatu said.
‘We have lost our credentials and are now uncertain about our education’
That Sunday morning, when this reporter arrived in Shuwa, 17-year-old Fatima stood staring at the ruins of their home and thinking about her parents, who are currently receiving treatment at Mubi General Hospital. “We were already out that night when the building collapsed,” Fatima began. They went to a nearby hall that was built by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for children in the neighbourhood to learn the Qur’an and basic education. “We waited there, and soon the water reached us,” she continued.
When Abdullahi Abba, a volunteer with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia formed in 2013 to help the Nigerian military in combating Boko Haram terrorists, realized that the water had risen to their stomachs and was about to submerge them in the hall, he climbed onto the cupboards where the pupils used to keep their books and pulled the women up into the ceiling. “I told them to come one by one. They will match the window and the cupboard and then get in. After 3 went in, we then turned to children and infants. Everyone got on the ceiling and waited there,” Abba narrated.
It wasn’t until dawn, when the water level had dropped, that Abba went out and opened the hall to let the water out. “We then brought everyone out and thanked God as there was no loss of lives. It’s only our valuables and some buildings that collapse. I suffered that night. You see the wounds in my hands. But I did this to help my people,” Abba said.
Unlike other children and their families, Fatima didn’t go to the camp. She remained at home and now sleeps in the hall with her siblings, waiting for her parents to be discharged from the hospital. As someone who graduated from high school in July, she is worried about losing all her school certificates in the flood and is now unsure about her future without her credentials.
Similarly, in addition to losing kitchen utensils and clothes to the flood, Hafsatu is most worried about her children’s school certificates and uniforms, which were also washed away.
‘We need help’
Umaru, an assistant registrar at the Upper Area Court in Gulak, explained to Diaspora Africa that even the government cannot fully compensate for what has been lost. While his family is now seeking refuge at the IDP camp, they have yet to receive any relief materials. Therefore, he appealed for urgent assistance. “I’m begging that the government should come and rebuild our houses. Giving some people money to come and share with us will not work out. Because it will not reach us,” he pleaded.
Aishatu is praying that God will bless the authorities at the camp for their assistance to her and her sick mother. “We are getting one mudu of rice from time to time. On days we didn’t get, we managed with our garri,” she told Diaspora Africa.
Hafsatu admitted receiving food aid from the government at the camp. However, she expressed uncertainty about where she and her children would live once the government asked them to vacate the camp. “We don’t know where to go. I’m concerned about where to live with our children after here,” she said, her face wry with skepticism.
For Isa, he is afraid that staying at the camp will not be sustainable. He pointed out that schools would soon reopen, “and if we are still here, where will the pupils sit and learn?”
Mitigation Efforts
Hellaendendu believes that locals can best adapt to flooding by identifying the root causes of the problem in their area and, if possible, relocating to a suitable and safer location. “They can also create good drainage systems that will channel the water overflow from their homes. They can build high elevated homes that won’t be affected by flood and also community rebuilding can be done after the flood incident but above all there should be education and training of locals on the best way and best practices of mitigating flood,” he said, adding that awareness campaigns about flooding, its impacts, and prevention strategies can help communities better adapt to and address these issues. “[There is need to] discourage building on waterways, discourage deforestation, community education and flood preparedness among many.”
Dr Hellaendendu criticized the use of primary schools as shelters for flood victims in Shuwa, calling it a failure of the government and its leaders. He emphasized that these locations are unsanitary and pose security risks due to the volatile situation caused by Boko Haram insurgents
Hellaendendu, on the other hand, criticized the use of primary schools as shelters for flood victims in Shuwa, calling it a failure of “our government and our leaders.” He emphasized that these locations are unsanitary and pose security risks due to the volatile situation caused by Boko Haram insurgents.
“Government should be proactive in addressing these issues by erecting structures that will serve as safe spaces for such unforeseen disasters in the future. Government lodges and guest houses should be made available for such situations since they are also citizens that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and above all, their homes should be rebuilt by the government since it’s the responsibility of the government to take care of its citizens,” Hellaendendu stated.
Writer: Yahuza Bawage
Editors: Amaka Obioji, Chimee Adioha
Images: Ahmed Abubakar Bature