Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa has declared a one-week holiday for state workers as flooding displaced one million residents.

The governor announced the one-week break for civil servants except those on essential duties on Tuesday in a radio broadcast, regretting that the floods forced the state teaching hospital and two state-owned universities to shut down.

He empathised with the people and saluted their courageous disposition as they grappled with the natural disaster.

The governor appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to assist the state with grants from the ecological funds, adding that the sole access to the East-West road has been cut off on several points, making road transport to Bayelsa impossible.

The public power supply was cut as a safety measure, as most distribution transformers and stations are already submerged.

Also, stations that have since run out of fuel cannot bring in the product by road, leaving residents to resort to illegal refineries.

Exorbitant petrol price (between N700 and N800 per litre) has led to a more than 100 per cent increase in transport fares and small businesses jerking up service fees.

The blockade caused by the flood has also triggered a general scarcity of food, including beverages and medicines, forcing prices to rise.

The situation has also taken a negative toll on telecommunications services leading to limited data and voice services as many base stations have run out of fuel.

(NAN)