Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lagos (Fides Service) – As many as 5,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of floods in Kaduna state in north east Nigeria. Local church forces contacted by Fides Service say torrential rains began suddenly during the night of Sunday 7 September when people were asleep. Thousands rushed from their homes in the middle of the night to escape the merciless rising waters and are now in camps set up by Kaduna city authorities in the outskirts of the town.
By day some return to their homes to try desperately to find some of their belongings, but the waters are still high and many will have to wait until they subside.
The worst hit areas are Barnawa, Sabon Tasha, Tunda Wada and Kigo. These are the worst floods in Kaduna state in the past twenty years and the authorities admit they were not geared to meet a disaster of these proportions also because there had been no alarm from weather forecasters. LM (Fides Service 10/9/2003 EM lines 38 Words: 478)
