Flood has wreaked havoc in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, destroying houses, property and farmlands.
Ogbaru is a flood-prone community in Anambra, which has continually suffered devastation in the past years.
The flooding followed persistent rainfall that caused the rise of the water level from the River Niger.
A NAN correspondent who visited the area said that some residents were seen wading through the waters, while houses, farmlands, and private and public facilities were submerged.
According to NAN, residents now paddle wooden canoes to their destinations, as the roads in the area have been submerged.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary, Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Paul Odenigbo, disclosed that all the residents in water-prone areas were well sensitised about the impending flood that is expected this year.
Odenigbo said that the state government had prepared a haven for those who would be affected by flooding, adding that personnel were on the ground to evacuate affected residents when the floods became unbearable.
He noted that this was the early stage, and the water would continue to rise daily.
“All water prone areas in Anambra were well sensitised about the flood situation, they are not taken unaware, and the agency is preparing its staff who work on the field to mitigate the flooding.
“They are also getting the holding centres ready, by preparing them, fumigating them and preparing them for occupation by people who are going to be affected by the flood, it’s a normal thing at this stage,” he said.
When asked if the people will not be adamant to evacuate to a haven, he explained that such resistance could happen with some residents, as the agency experiences it yearly.
“The high water is not a new thing to them, they have been living with it year in, year out, it’s not the way you are seeing it, they are seeing it, when you tell them to go, they just laugh at you, because to them, nothing has happened.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Anambra Commissioner for Environment, Mr Felix Odumegwu, failed as he did not pick his phone calls nor respond to the text messages sent to his phone.