Windstorm kills 4, destroys 1,637 homes in Yobe

A windstorm, accompanied by torrential rainfall, has killed four people and destroyed 1,637 mud houses in Yobe State since May 9.

Dr Muhammad Goje, Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, YOSEMA, disclosed this to journalists in Damaturu on Thursday.

He said the disaster affected seven local government areas: Bursari, Damaturu, Fika, Fune, Gulani, Potiskum and Tarmuwa.

Goje said 92 people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the devastating windstorm, which affected 5,022 individuals across 1,264 households.

The executive secretary added that 83 households, comprising 368 individuals, were displaced by the disaster, noting that a total of 48 communities were affected, with Fika being the worst hit.

In response, Goje said YOSEMA, in partnership with Action Against Hunger, ACC, and with support from the German Federal Foreign Office, GFFO, distributed life-saving relief materials to 566 households in Fika and Potiskum.

He said a joint needs assessment by SEMA and ACF prioritised the most vulnerable families who had lost their homes and essential belongings and were in need of hygiene services.

He noted that Mohammed Kingimi, ACF’s WASH Project Manager, had affirmed the organisation’s commitment to further assist the victims based on resource availability.

“ACF is also preparing to roll out Food Security and Livelihood, FSL, support for the same 566 households to enhance their recovery,” he said.

Goje reiterated the state government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable communities through proactive emergency response initiatives.