No fewer than 2,517 houses and shops were either completely or partially destroyed by the flood, which ravaged 33 communities in the state.
This was announced by the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency in a statement on Saturday.
Mr. Ibrahim Nalado, the agency’s Deputy Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Saturday.
According to Nalado, the affected communities are located in the state’s Dukku, Funakaye, and Billiri Local Government Areas.
According to him, the territories were inundated as a result of the severe rains that occurred between August 12 and 22.
He said, “In Dukku LGA, 10 communities were affected. In Funakaye LGA, 20 communities were affected, and in Billiri LGA, three communities were affected.”
He stated that no lives were lost, but two children were hurt in Dukku, and seven animals were washed away.
Regarding the impact of floods on farmlands, the deputy director stated that the Hina village in the state’s Yamaltu/Deba LGA was the hardest damaged.
He stated that at least 1000 hectares of rice, maize, sorghum, and millet farmlands had been inundated with water.
The deputy director added that his team went to the Hina community on Friday, August 30, to assess the amount of damage.
Nalado stated that the impact of the flooding was ‘huge and devastating’ in view of the vast area affected.
“Farmers were getting ready to harvest their crops. The farmers were so worried, but because it was a natural phenomenon, they accepted it in good fate,” he said.
The deputy director mentioned that data on the number of farmers affected by the flood was being collated at Hina.
Nalado added that his agency had assessed the extent of the damage and was preparing reports to send to the state government and other relevant entities.
He did, however, say that the extent of the devastation to Hina’s farmlands would require both the state and the federal governments to work together to remedy.
He urged the North East Development Commission and the National Emergency Management Agency to support the state government in this matter.
The deputy director also urged farmers and those affected to be patient. He told them that the government and other government bodies would come to their assistance.
