By Isaac Olamikan 

Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday, dispatched a team of officials, headed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Yakubu Gowon, to take a tour of areas affected by flash floods occasioned by the heavy and persistent rainfall in the state.  

The assessment, according to the government, is to ascertain the degree of destruction caused by the flood and deploy intervention to mitigate the impact of future rainfall.

Places visited by the state government’s team include: Erediauwa Road linking Upper Sokponba and Sapele roads in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Ivbiotor, and Ehigiamusoe streets also in Ikpoba-Okha LGA. Others are Akugbe and Edebiri in Ikpoba-Okha as well as Idumwunowina on Auchi Road.

Speaking to residents in areas hit by flood, Gowon explained that the governor shares in their pain and loss and assured that relief materials would be delivered to them to cushion the effect of the disaster.

“The state government is aware of your plight and will send relief materials to reduce the effect of the havoc caused by the heavy rainfall. We are here to assess the degree of the damage caused by the heavy downpour,” he added and urged the victims to be calm as help is on the way.

He explained that some roads and drainage systems in the state have been awarded to contractors for reconstruction, and called on all those affected to stay calm as the government will surely come to their aid by providing relief materials.

“We have already started distributing relief materials to those affected by rainstorm since March this year and same will be extended to you as we treat all our citizens equally.”

The Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osayande, commended governor Obaseki for his prompt response to their call for help.

He assured that the local government administration will ensure that the people dispose their waste properly and clear the drains.

A victim of the flood at Evbomodo Community, Mr. Osaro Otabor, thanked the governor for sending people to assess the destruction caused by the heavy downpour.

The governor’s aide was accompanied on the assessment tour by officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Ministry of Environment and Sustainability officials.

Recall that the state government recently distribution relief materials to communities affected by windstorm in Esan West and Owan West local government areas, as well as in other parts of the state.

Hon. Yakubu Gowon handed over the relief materials on behalf of the state government to chairmen of the two local councils in Benin City, the state capital.

He explained that Governor Obaseki has fulfilled the promise he made shortly after the disaster, to assist the affected communities.

“This is a continuous exercise; as at date, we have donated relief materials to communities in about 12 local government areas and we have been receiving letters of appreciation from the beneficiaries.

“While some states in the country that experienced similar disaster are still waiting for the support of the federal government, the Edo State government has gone ahead to render assistance to these communities,” he said, while handing over the relief materials to the local councils’ bosses, recently.

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