Flood Crisis in Nigeria is of Unprecedented Proportions, Aid Groups Warn
Millions affected as food, housing crisis worsen; Cholera outbreak looms
Historic flooding in Nigeria that has affected 7 million people, displaced 2.1 million and killed 363 between July and October of 2012, has become a disaster of unprecedented "scale or magnitude," according to Oxfam's deputy regional humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, Dierdre McArdle, who urged that the imminent massive food and disease crisis will require more help from international organizations.
The weather event, in tune with similar catastrophes of the changing climate this year, caused the worst flooding in five decades in the country.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was late to declare the situation a state of emergency, and thus delayed relief funds and slowed disaster response, IRIN reports in coordination with the Guardian.
Aid agencies working in the country are now saying that the disaster requires more funding urgently and at this point will take six months or longer before improvements are made.
"Assessments were delayed. The scale of it is enormous...We had a lack of data, so no one has known how many were affected until now," said McArdle.
"Finding partners who have the capacity to deal with it is challenging."
Olusoji Adebowale Adeniyi, of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), told IRIN, that the vastness of the disaster has now taken aid groups aback: "It is because it is so vast that it could not be addressed quickly," he stated. Currently the Nigerian government has a plan to address only 500,000 out of the 2.1 million people in need.
Agencies now involved, including Oxfam, Nema, and the UN, are expressing particular concern over food insecurity in the nation, which is now estimated to be "severe or very severe" in 82% of communities. When there is food, those prices have risen by 30-70%. Group Friends of the Earth stated that the flooding has been "catastrophic to crops," with the full extent of the damage to the harvest sill unknown.
Many displaced people are sleeping in camps, makeshift shelters, or make-due structures such as primary schools. Many are exposed to the elements. Additionally accounts of violence in the camps are rising, particularly violence against women, Oxfam is reporting.
Oxfam's McArdle added that there is a very high risk of a cholera outbreak, as most flooded communities lack clean water.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Historic flooding in Nigeria that has affected 7 million people, displaced 2.1 million and killed 363 between July and October of 2012, has become a disaster of unprecedented "scale or magnitude," according to Oxfam's deputy regional humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, Dierdre McArdle, who urged that the imminent massive food and disease crisis will require more help from international organizations.
The weather event, in tune with similar catastrophes of the changing climate this year, caused the worst flooding in five decades in the country.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was late to declare the situation a state of emergency, and thus delayed relief funds and slowed disaster response, IRIN reports in coordination with the Guardian.
Aid agencies working in the country are now saying that the disaster requires more funding urgently and at this point will take six months or longer before improvements are made.
"Assessments were delayed. The scale of it is enormous...We had a lack of data, so no one has known how many were affected until now," said McArdle.
"Finding partners who have the capacity to deal with it is challenging."
Olusoji Adebowale Adeniyi, of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), told IRIN, that the vastness of the disaster has now taken aid groups aback: "It is because it is so vast that it could not be addressed quickly," he stated. Currently the Nigerian government has a plan to address only 500,000 out of the 2.1 million people in need.
Agencies now involved, including Oxfam, Nema, and the UN, are expressing particular concern over food insecurity in the nation, which is now estimated to be "severe or very severe" in 82% of communities. When there is food, those prices have risen by 30-70%. Group Friends of the Earth stated that the flooding has been "catastrophic to crops," with the full extent of the damage to the harvest sill unknown.
Many displaced people are sleeping in camps, makeshift shelters, or make-due structures such as primary schools. Many are exposed to the elements. Additionally accounts of violence in the camps are rising, particularly violence against women, Oxfam is reporting.
Oxfam's McArdle added that there is a very high risk of a cholera outbreak, as most flooded communities lack clean water.
Historic flooding in Nigeria that has affected 7 million people, displaced 2.1 million and killed 363 between July and October of 2012, has become a disaster of unprecedented "scale or magnitude," according to Oxfam's deputy regional humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, Dierdre McArdle, who urged that the imminent massive food and disease crisis will require more help from international organizations.
The weather event, in tune with similar catastrophes of the changing climate this year, caused the worst flooding in five decades in the country.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was late to declare the situation a state of emergency, and thus delayed relief funds and slowed disaster response, IRIN reports in coordination with the Guardian.
Aid agencies working in the country are now saying that the disaster requires more funding urgently and at this point will take six months or longer before improvements are made.
"Assessments were delayed. The scale of it is enormous...We had a lack of data, so no one has known how many were affected until now," said McArdle.
"Finding partners who have the capacity to deal with it is challenging."
Olusoji Adebowale Adeniyi, of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), told IRIN, that the vastness of the disaster has now taken aid groups aback: "It is because it is so vast that it could not be addressed quickly," he stated. Currently the Nigerian government has a plan to address only 500,000 out of the 2.1 million people in need.
Agencies now involved, including Oxfam, Nema, and the UN, are expressing particular concern over food insecurity in the nation, which is now estimated to be "severe or very severe" in 82% of communities. When there is food, those prices have risen by 30-70%. Group Friends of the Earth stated that the flooding has been "catastrophic to crops," with the full extent of the damage to the harvest sill unknown.
Many displaced people are sleeping in camps, makeshift shelters, or make-due structures such as primary schools. Many are exposed to the elements. Additionally accounts of violence in the camps are rising, particularly violence against women, Oxfam is reporting.
Oxfam's McArdle added that there is a very high risk of a cholera outbreak, as most flooded communities lack clean water.