Mohammed Fall, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, announced a $6 million allocation from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund to aid flood victims in Borno State.
The Alau Dam, situated about 10 miles south of Maiduguri, collapsed on September 10, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate. At a New York briefing on Monday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric revealed that a joint mission of UN agencies, NGOs, and the Nigeria Red Cross Society had visited Maiduguri over the weekend. They spoke with individuals affected by the disaster, many of whom had already been displaced multiple times due to conflict and insecurity.
“We and our partners are providing them with hot meals, we are facilitating air drops of food in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters, and we are also trucking in water.
“We are also providing water and sanitation hygiene services and water purification tablets to stem disease outbreaks.
“This is in addition to supplying hygiene and dignity kits to women and girls, as well as emergency health and shelter services,” she said.
Dujarric noted that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) staff were collaborating closely with donors to obtain further funding.
Earlier, Emmanuel Bigenimana, head of the World Food Programme (WFP) office in Maiduguri, reported that he had conducted a rapid damage and needs assessment by flying over the city in a UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopter provided by WFP.
While noting that homes, infrastructure, roads, schools and hospitals were submerged by water, he said: “What I have seen is really heartbreaking. Many, many people, I’m talking of over 200,000 – 300,000 displaced people, are overcrowded in several IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps and also on the streets.”
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