About 600 families affected by flood and windstorm in Abi in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State have been given relief materials worth millions of naira. The materials included roofing zinc, cement, roofing nails, mattresses, blankets and foodstuffs.
Presenting the relief materials to victims at the Abi Council Secretariat, Itigidi, yesterday, the Director General, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Vincent Aqua, said the disposition of the state governor was an impetus to the performance of the agency.
Aqua said the relief materials were meant to cushion the effect of the natural disaster in which over 600 families were affected, noting that though the disaster was largely attributed to natural phenomenon, mankind has in a way created an opportunity for the effect to be monumental due to unhealthy environmental practices.
He urged the people to imbibe the state government’s campaign on best environmental practices that would not project the unchallenged natural disasters such as windstorm, flooding, fire and other forms of disaster.
The DG added that indiscriminate felling of trees, bush burning and general dislocation of the eco-system on account of farming activities had often made it easy for windstorm and flood disaster to take its toll on the people as vegetations that hitherto acted as windbreakers and flood-checkers have been destroyed.
Aqua call for aggressive change of the ugly trend as such unhealthy practices that could culminate in more havoc on the environment and the people, while expressing the hope that the materials would provide the needed succour to the beneficiaries.
