Enugu Flood: Iyi Odu, Ivo, Imani Rivers Overrun Okpanku, Submerge 7 Villages
There is panic in Okpanku village, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, as Iyi Odu, River Ivo and Imani Stream overflowed their banks, submerging houses and farmlands.
Live pictures from the community show residential buildings under water, with residents unable to access their homes.
A resident who identified herself as Cecilia Onu described the incident as a terrible experience, saying the community has not witnessed such heavy flooding in decades.
According to her, the last time such flood occurred was during the time of their forefathers.
She said all seven villages that make up Okpanku – Okpu, Ihuibe, Amabiriba, Amagu, Amaogudu, Ihuezeoke, Amaeze – have been affected in one way or the other.
Onu, who lamented that Okpanku is an agrarian community, said farmlands have been submerged, farm inputs destroyed, while houses and property worth millions of naira have been lost to the flood.
She further revealed that residents who went to Afo market days ago are yet to return to their houses as a result of the overflowing of Imani Stream and Ivo River.
“Villages have been submerged, we can’t go to our farms, we are running out of food, nowhere to go. The sight of the heavy flood itself is terrifying. It is indeed a terrible experience,” she said.
She called on the administration of Governor Peter Mbah to urgently come to their rescue, stressing that Okpanku village needs serious humanitarian assistance.
As at the time of filing this report, floodwaters were yet to recede, with residents appealing to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, for urgent intervention.
