The Nigerian Red Cross Society has constructed 47 temporary shelters, rehabilitated boreholes and other facilities for flood victims in Mokwa, Niger.
The National President of the society, Oluyemisi Adeaga, said during the inauguration on Friday in Mokwa that two boreholes were rehabilitated in Mokwa and two in Rabba community to enable them have access to potable water.
Adeaga said that the society also distributed 500 sanitary kits to women and girls of childbearing age and 500 non-food items to families to restore their confidence and strength during the recovery process.
According to him, items such as plastic buckets, jerry cans, and water purification tablets were distributed to ensure access to clean drinking water.
“Dignity kits, such as tools for hand washing, were also provided at the temporary shelter site to promote proper hygiene and dignity,” he said.
He said the initiative was to help alleviate the suffering of families displaced by the flood and to provide safe spaces for them to thrive.
Adeaga noted that the society’s work was not only about responding to the current disaster but also to prepare the people for tomorrow’s challenges.
He said the society engaged them in hygiene promotion, market sensitisation, focus group discussions, community meetings, flood preparedness simulation, and first aid trainings to mitigate future disaster.
He called on Nigerians to collaborate with the Society in its emergency efforts because its strength lied not only in its name but also in its volunteers.
He noted that the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency had warned that 30 states and more than 1,200 communities were at high risk of flooding and reiterated the need to mitigate the anticipated impacts.
In his remarks, Sarkin Hausawa, Alhaji Tanko Bala, thanked the Red Cross for building shelters and providing dignity kits to women affected by the flood, saying it would go a long way in assisting the victims.
One of the victims, Loretta Abubakar, expressed appreciation to the Red Cross for the donation.
Another victim, Salisu Suleiman, said: “We are happy with the gesture; this will go a long way to assist us and our families.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Mokwa flood, which occurred on May 29, claimed 207 lives, affected 458 households, displaced 3,534 persons, and destroyed property worth billions of Naira.(NAN