The Gombe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said over 171 houses were either completely or partially destroyed as a result of flooding and wind storms recorded in the state in two months.

The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Haruna Abdullahi, disclosed this in Gombe on Thursday.

He said that over 15 villages from Dukku, Kwami, Gombe and Akko Local Government Areas had already been affected by flooding and windstorms, leading to the death of four persons, mostly children.

He said, “So far, we have 87 houses destroyed in Dukku, 27 from Kwami, 30 from Gombe and 27, including a church, in Akko. This is why we are appealing to residents and communities to take the issue of the environment seriously by clearing blocked drainage. Avoid indiscriminate dumping of waste; instead, use the waste collection centres built by the state government for waste disposal.’’

Mr Abdullahi stated that his agency was planning to assist victims of floods with relief materials while advising parents to monitor their children’s movement during the rains.

He stated that since incidents of children drowning during flooding had been reported, it had become imperative for parents to be proactive towards the safety of their children.

He decried the level of desertification as a result of tree felling going on in the state for charcoal and firewood for cooking purposes.

Mr Abdullahi advised residents to stop cutting down trees, citing instances where trees planted around houses had helped reduce the strength of the wind and its impact on those houses.

He urged residents to use the opportunity of the wet season to plant more trees in their communities to help combat desertification in the state.

(NAN)