Two children have been killed and one other person missing following two days of heavy downpour in Birninkudu Local Government Area of Jigawa.
The heavy downpour also destroyed many houses and farmlands.
Wada Faka, the chairman of the local government, said on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, in Dutse said that the two children died when the building collapsed on them during the rains while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.
He explained that one of the children, a 10-year-old boy, died in a collapsed building in Kiyako village, while a seven-year-old girl died also in a collapsed building in Masaya village.
Faka added that the resultant flood from the heavy downpour also washed away thousands of farmlands and killed several livestock.
The council boss added that a 40-year-old-man in Samamiya village, one of the flooded areas, had been missing since the early hours of Monday, August 24, 2020.
According to him, a yet-to-be ascertained a number of houses and farmlands were also destroyed in Malamawar Gangaran, Babaldu, Wurno, Kiyako, and Samamiya villages.
“As I am speaking with you, we have already sent our officials to these villages to assess the damages caused by the flood so that we do our best to assist the victims.
“Also, we have earlier sent a situation report to the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, so that it will come to the aid of the victims.
“In fact, today I have personally met the SEMA Executive Secretary and he promised to as a matter of urgency, assist the victims with some food items before the report of our assessment is ready,” Faka said.
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, had on August 19, 2020, held a stakeholders’ meeting and awareness campaign in Dutse, on the implications of the 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction.
Sunusi Ado, the NEMA coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, had at the meeting, urged communities in the state to take steps towards effective flood prevention and control.
Represented by Aminu Boyi, an assistant director in the agency, Ado said there was a need for communities to brace up with the realities of flooding.
Ado had said that the Nigeria Hydrological Agency, NIHSA, 2020 Annual Flood Outlook had already listed 12 Local Government Areas in the state as flood-prone areas.
The NIHSA report listed Kaugama, Taura, Guri, Gwaram, Dutse, Auyo, Miga, Malam Madori, Ringim, Birniwa, Jahun, and Kafin Hausa as probable flood risk areas.
