Residents across the 27 communities in Oguta Local Government Area, Imo State, are gripped by fear following a fresh NEMA flood alert Oguta warning about the imminent risk of severe flooding.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) raised the alarm after a risk assessment showed that rising water levels in rivers and streams have reached dangerous levels, threatening to overflow and inundate farmlands, homes, and infrastructure.
The memories of past flooding disasters in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 still haunt many families who lost property and livelihoods in those years. Now, with continuous rainfall worsening the situation, panic has spread rapidly through the communities as residents scramble to evacuate.
Speaking to 9am News report, a distressed resident said: “We thought we had learned from the past, but it seems like history is repeating itself. We just hope the government acts swiftly to prevent a catastrophe.”
Many families are already wading through rising floodwaters, carrying their belongings on their heads in a desperate bid to reach safer ground. “We don’t know where to run for our lives,” said Mrs. Nneoma, a resident who described how the water rose suddenly overnight. “We’re praying we make it to higher ground safely.”
NEMA’s Principal Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, Ijegalu Nelicia Nonyelum, confirmed that all 27 communities in Oguta LGA are intersected by rivers that have exceeded safe capacity and are close to breaching their banks. The agency’s team from its Owerri Operations Office and River Marshals visited the flood sites and confirmed widespread risks of massive displacement, destruction of farmland, infrastructure collapse, and health crises due to stagnant, contaminated waters.
“The warning signs are clear, and the window for preventive action is rapidly closing,” Nonyelum stressed. “We urge everyone in low-lying areas to evacuate immediately and move to higher ground. Deployment of emergency teams and logistics support must be considered imminent.”
The government and humanitarian agencies are racing to put together rescue efforts and logistics for evacuation, but officials warn that without public cooperation, the crisis could spiral into a full-scale humanitarian disaster.
NEMA is calling for intensified public awareness and preparedness at the community level, including compliance with evacuation orders, identification of safe zones, and coordination with emergency teams.
As rainfall persists and rivers remain swollen, the people of Oguta face an uncertain future, with their farmlands, homes, and lives at risk. 9am News report will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as this unfolding emergency situation evolves.
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