The town of Oguta in Imo State Nigeria has been hit by severe
flooding in the past few days and homes have been fully taken over by
the rising flood waters. Residents of the community have taken refuge in
other towns and those unfortunate to get out fast enough were trapped
and had to seek for refuge on the roof tops of their homes. Their
farmlamds have been compeletely destroyed and commercial activities in
the town paralysed. Other parts of Nigeria have also experienced similar
occurence. However, the case of Oguta is particularly painful because
it is not only a great food basket for Imo State but it produces more
than half of all the oil in the state, yet the people feel abandoned by
the government as well as the Federal Emergency Management team.
The
threat of diseases and the oubreak of an epidemic looms large for the
people. The Oguta case is very similar to what hapened in the Gulf Coast
of the USA especially in Lousiana and Alabama. Oguta is a very
beautiful town with an 18-hole golf course and attracts many visitors
there who are awed by its lake and the hospitality of its people.
Community leaders are appealing to non-governmental agencies (NGO's,
etc) and well meaning individuals as well as corporations to come to
their aid with medicines, food, clothing and other items of need before
people start getting sick and things of that sort. Theirs is a child's
cry for its mother's love, comfort and help.
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