We Only Eat Once A Day – Anambra Flood Victims Tell Agonizing Experience In Holding Camps

Anambra State flood victims have complained about the unsavory conditions they are subjected to at the holding camps the state government has set up for them.

They claim that nearly two weeks after moving into the authorized camps, overseeing agencies like the Federal government’s NEMA and the state-run SEMA had still not provided them with food, leaving them little choice but to eat once per day from crowdfunding in the camp.

Pregnant women, kids, and elderly parents were reportedly spotted sleeping on the bare floor. Some of the victims complied with the order and moved to the camps, but others ignored it and insisted on remaining in their flooded homes.

When one of the holding facilities in Umuoba Anam, in the local government area of Anambra East, was inspected, the condition of the rooms containing hundreds of victims was quite poor.

It was a school building that had been turned into a holding camp, complete with broken windows, no mosquito nets, no water source, no electricity, and not even a generator.

Only a few people were using little camp foams, while nursing mothers, pregnant women, kids, and teenagers were observed laying on the cracked floorboards with wrappers, nylon bags, and sacks.

It was discovered that the over 2000 people were only using two handy rooms because there was no well or plan in place for a tanker to deliver them water.

Mr. Emmanuel Okonkwo, who expressed sorrow over the victims’ condition, claimed that the government had not yet sent anything other than what some individuals had brought. He added that they also needed money to buy condiments, kerosene, and firewood to prepare the food that people only eat once a day.

Mrs. Tina Okeke, a resident of Mmiata in the Anambra West local government region, describes how she and her six children endured nighttime hunger and insect bites while sleeping on the floor.

Mrs. Philomena Ekwealor from Mmiata- Aban and Mrs. Grace Ikem from Umueze Anam, two victims from Anambra West, urged for urgent government intervention, especially in the provision of food and medical care to prevent mortality records in the camps.

When they were at home, they ate three times a day, but Chief Ezechukwu Asapuo lamented that they were only allowed to eat once per day after a flood ruined their farms and other possessions.

” Once in a day they give us food, back in our house, we ate as we wanted. We are hoping that government will bring us food and money. But what can we do, when you are not in your house, whatever they give you, you take, ” he said.

More than 300 communities in six local government have been sacked by the flood disaster across Nigeria in 2022. Punch reports that communities in Anambra, Ogbaru has 286,000 displaced persons, Anambra West has 237,000, Anambra East has 103,000, Awka North has 10,345 victims, while Anyamelum has 9,240 flood cases with 5,468 displaced persons.

According to an official from State Emergency Management Agency , Mr Chukwudi Onyejiofor whop spoke to Punch, currently, over 700,000 persons are all camped at various internally displaced persons camps across the state, a figure, he said, would shoot up to one million in a few days as over 500 victims join the camps daily.