Nigeria faces 'worst floods in a decade', death toll passes 600
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Disastrous flooding in Nigeria has left the nation crippled with over 600 people dead and millions displaced, reported the BBC.
According to the minister for disaster management, the recent floods in the West African nation have become an "overwhelming" disaster as most of the states were not fully prepared despite several warnings.
Nigeria's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Sadiya Umar Farouk, held a press conference on Sunday and asked the local authorities to evacuate people living in the most high-risk areas.
This is the worst flood that Nigeria has experienced in a decade. The flood has caused over a million people to leave their homes and shift to shelters, whereas over 200,000 homes have been destroyed.
Flooding is expected to continue until the end of November, reported the BBC. While the nation experiences mild flooding every year during rainy seas, this year it has been significantly worse.
The reasons for the disastrous flood in the nation are said to be heavy rain and climate change. However, if experts are to be believed, poor planning and infrastructure have exacerbated the damage.
Other than the homes, large swathes of farmland have also been destroyed.
The flood has affected 27 of Nigeria's 36 states.
The meteorological agency of Nigeria has warned that the flooding could continue until the end of November in some states in the south of the country, including Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, and Anambra.