Floods sweeping across Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state have impacted up to 1 million people, Governor Babagana Zulum confirmed on Wednesday. The disaster was triggered when a dam overflowed due to heavy rains, flooding communities, washing away a state-owned zoo, and displacing wildlife like crocodiles and snakes.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Authorities are scrambling to rescue residents and place them in temporary shelters, while still assessing the full extent of the damage. Zulum, who visited affected areas, noted that a quarter of Maiduguri, the state’s capital, is underwater, raising concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases.
Casualty figures are yet to be released, but local officials describe the situation as the worst flooding in the region in two decades. The Bakassi camp, which previously housed people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, has also been hit.
Since the beginning of the year, 229 people have died in floods across Nigeria, with 2022 marking the worst year in recent history with 600 fatalities.
