Godwin Akor, Makurdi
Rainstorm, on Tuesday destroyed over 1000 houses at Ayati village in Ukum local government area of Benue state with over 30,000 persons including the elderly, children and youths rendered homeless.
The Nigerian Xpress gathered from one of those affected, Mr. Ahamgba Ayati, that farms and farm lands as well properties including household items and harvested crops including hundreds of thousands of yam tubers were destroyed by the rainstorm which lasted for over four hours.
Ahamgba Ayati stated further that everything he had had been destroyed and added that the district head of the community was also badly affected.
He said many of those displaced have been staying outside, stressing that houses of those that should have accommodated those displaced were partially destroyed.
He appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, and the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to assist the people of Ayati, describing the disaster as the first if its kind in the area.
Ayati said everything the people had gathered in the past years were destroyed by the rainstorm, explaining that the wild wind combined with rain came as a surprise and spared no property.
According to the information officer of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Ahamgba Ayati, if help does not come to the people before proper rainy season sets in, there would be problem of exposure to bad weather at the time that Nigeria is battling with Coronavirus with Benue having one case.
