London, Europe Brief News – More than 600 people died as Nigeria’s flooding continues to spread across the country.
The African country has been witnessing its worst flooding in a decade.
According to the Nigerian authorities, more than 2 million people have been affected by flooding that has spread across parts of the country’s south after a particularly wet rainy season.
More than 200,000 homes have been completely or partially damaged, the ministry added.
Earlier this month, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency warned of catastrophic flooding for states located along the courses of the Niger and Benue rivers, noting that three of Nigeria’s overfilled reservoirs were expected to overflow.
NEMA said the release of excess water from a dam in neighboring Cameroon had contributed to the flooding.
While many parts of Nigeria are prone to yearly floods, flooding in certain areas has been more severe than the last major floods in 2012, a Red Cross official said.
An official delegation will be visiting state governors across the country to suggest strengthening states’ flood response mechanisms.
“We are calling on the respective State Governments, Local Government Councils and Communities to prepare for more flooding by evacuating people living on flood plains to high grounds, provide tents and relief materials, fresh water as well as medical supplies for a possible outbreak of water-borne diseases,” the ministry of humanitarian affairs said on Twitter Sunday.