Nigeria: Floods – Maiduguri (MMC) and Jere Floods Flash Update 2 (15 September 2024)

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 414,000 people are affected by floods in Borno State, with some 37 deaths and 58 people injured reported.

• Access to hospitals and markets and other critical infrastructure remains limited. Schools are closed with some serving as temporary relocation sites.

• Two major bridges in Maiduguri (Lagos Street Bridge and Gwange Bridge) have partially collapsed.

• Over 300,000 people have been registered in at least 26 relocation sites, as of 14 September, according to the Borno State Government’s Emergency Operations Centre. Up to 30 sites have been set up and registration is ongoing.

• In support of Government efforts, the UN and partners are responding to immediate food (wet feeding), water, health and shelter and sanitation needs.

• Interventions to prevent outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea and cholera are ongoing.

• The flooding is happening at the height of a food and nutrition crisis – the lean season. • On 14 September a high-level delegation led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and comprising representatives of humanitarian agencies visited Maiduguri to express continued support for the operation and solidarity with the people of Maiduguri.

• Link to Rapid Needs Assessment Report

• Link to OCHA’s interactive floods dashboard

SITUATION OVERVIEW

More than 300,000 temporarily displaced people have been registered in 30 relocation sites following relocations from flood affected areas in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere and Konduga local government areas (LGAs). As of 15 September, according to the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) of the Borno State Government (BSG). This follows the flash flooding that occurred on the night of 9 September, when the Alau Dam collapsed wreaking havoc across MMC and Jere.

Access remains restricted with key infrastructure such as the Gwange and Lagos Street bridges in Maiduguri collapsing or partially collapsing. The Muna camp, which is housing approximately 57,000 people, of whom 6,000 are new arrivals, remains cut off from the main city, markets and other services by flood waters. Other communities also remain isolated. The local telecommunications and electricity networks continue to be disconnected in some areas. The main market (Monday Market) in Maiduguri is still flooded, affecting access to food with markets moving to other parts of Maiduguri often disrupting road traffic and potentially causing security issues.

The numbers of people registered in relocation sites and the number of sites keep increasing. Many sites are crowded with open defecation taking place. Priority needs among affected people are food assistance, wet feeding (most people affected have lost stoves and cooking utensils), potable water, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and safe shelters within the camps. There is also urgent need for protection activities to reduce the risk of gender-based violence, as well as protection of unaccompanied children, including tracing their families. A key priority is to prevent outbreaks of communicable disease, including cholera, ramping up WASH activities to ensure adequate coverage of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. This will also require surveillance for disease and preparedness for outbreaks. It is also expected that cases of malaria and other vector borne disease will increase.

Government authorities have relocated residents in high-risk areas to multiple relocation sites. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is helping set up and manage temporary camps in Maiduguri and conducting search and rescue operations, while the Nigerian military has activated 22 disaster response units in Borno and across north-east Nigeria to help reach inaccessible areas and undertake search and rescue for people trapped by the flooding.

In support of Government efforts, the UN and partners are providing hot meals, water purification tablets, hygiene/dignity kits and cholera kits, as well as emergency health services, among other lifesaving interventions. The UN is also conducting joint rapid needs assessments with authorities to inform the emergency response.