The Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has reported that at least 171 houses were either completely or partially destroyed by flooding and windstorms across the state within the last two months.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr. Haruna Abdullahi, said the disasters had affected over 15 villages in Dukku, Kwami, Gombe, and Akko Local Government Areas.
He confirmed that four people—mostly children—had lost their lives in the incidents.
“So far, we have recorded 87 houses destroyed in Dukku, 27 in Kwami, 30 in Gombe, and 27 in Akko, including a church,” Abdullahi said.
He appealed to residents to take environmental issues more seriously by clearing blocked drainage channels and avoiding indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
“Instead of dumping waste indiscriminately, residents should use the waste collection centers established by the state government,” he advised.
Abdullahi added that SEMA is working on providing relief materials to victims, while also urging parents to closely monitor their children during the rainy season, given the recent reports of children drowning during flooding.
He also raised concerns over the growing threat of desertification caused by widespread tree felling for charcoal and firewood.
“Tree planting is vital. We have seen cases where trees planted around homes helped reduce the force of windstorms,” he said.
Abdullahi encouraged residents to use the ongoing wet season to plant more trees in their communities as a long-term strategy to combat desertification.
