Flood cuts off two LGAs, destroys buildings in Yobe

A flood brought on by days of rainfall has destroyed the Katarko bridge linking Gujba and Gulani LGAs to Damaturu, Yobe state capital.

Mohammad Goje, executive secretary, Yobe state emergency management agency, announced the development in a statement on Tuesday.

Katarko bridge is one of the major bridges along the Damaturu/Buni Yadi/Biu road that links Yobe with Borno, Adamawa, Gombe, and Taraba states.

Goje said the incident which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday also ravaged Mutai and Buni Yadi communities, destroying residential buildings and farmlands.

He said the agency has reached out to the army to form a barricade in Katarko town to prevent people from trooping to the scene, as the government was working on improvising alternative routes to reconnect communities.

“The measure is to avert any casualty from the disaster which occurred on the only road linking the state with other parts of the country on that axis,” he said.

While commiserating with the victims, he urged riverine communities to move to higher ground to avert the loss of lives and property.

Goje said the agency had activated assessment teams to ascertain the extent of damage caused by flood disasters across the state.

Within two months, more than 12 communities have been flooded in Yobe. In Gulani and Gujba LGAs, bridges linking several communities have reportedly collapsed.