Essential Ndubuisi
Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri has said the flood in the State is overwhelming and beyond what the government alone can handle.
He appealed for assistance from the Federal Government, local and international organisations as well as public-spirited individuals.
He made the appeal in a statewide radio and television broadcast on Tuesday.
According to him, the flood has severely impacted lives and livelihoods with nearly a million people in over 300 communities displaced and some deaths reported.
He stated that he had toured several of the ravaged communities and seen first hand the extent of the destruction.
Diri said: “From my personal assessment, the situation is dire. Nearly a million people in over 300 communities in the state have been internally displaced. Unfortunately, some deaths have been reported.
“The narrative is the same across Sagbama, Ekeremor, Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, Yenagoa, Nembe and Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Areas. Businesses have been shut, properties lost and farm lands destroyed.
“Critical infrastructure like hospitals, roads, bridges and schools, including the state-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma, the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, and the University of Africa, Toru-Orua, have been severely affected.
