UNHCR scrambles aid as devastating floods sweep Nigeria

Briefing notes

UNHCR scrambles aid as devastating floods sweep Nigeria

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR’s Representative in Nigeria, Arjun Jain – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

17 September 2024 Also available in:

Women and children gather around a water point surrounded by floodwaters.

Families wade through floodwaters to access a water point at a site for internally displaced people in Dikwa in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno State.

GENEVA – Heavy rains have ravaged 30 of Nigeria's 36 states. According to the government, over a million people have been affected, 269 lives tragically lost, and more than 640,000 have been displaced from their homes.

Maiduguri town, a humanitarian hub in the northeast, is at the epicentre of the crisis. Rains caused a breach in Alau Dam, about 20 kilometres away, uprooting over 400,000 people in recent days. The impact submerged half of Maiduguri, and most residents have lost everything. Many of the displaced had already been uprooted by conflict or the effects of the climate crisis.

UNHCR and its humanitarian partners are working tirelessly to provide life-saving relief to those who lost their homes in the floods. UNHCR is providing tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and other essential items. Emergency cash assistance is also being provided to single-parent families, people with disabilities and families with young children to help them purchase food and other necessities.

However, supplies are quickly depleting and we can only meet less than 10 per cent of the urgent needs.

The devastating floods have compounded years of prior displacement, food insecurity and economic hardship, with disastrous consequences. Communities which, after years of conflict and violence, had started rebuilding their lives were struck by the floods and once again displaced. They and thousands of others are seeking safety from rising waters in overcrowded schools and camps.

These situations often result in an increase in gender-based violence, which requires urgent intervention. Protection partners are also addressing the issue of separated families, including some unaccompanied children.

When the floodwaters finally recede, thousands of families will face the daunting task of returning to homes that have been destroyed. They will need significant support to rebuild homes, livelihoods, and a sense of normalcy.

The UN and partners are collecting more data to help assess and address the overall needs. But we cannot afford to wait. The urgency of this crisis requires immediate action and increased support for flood-affected families, in Maiduguri and elsewhere in Nigeria.

There are currently 3.6 million internally displaced people in Nigeria, mostly in the northeast, and the country hosts almost 100,000 asylum-seekers and refugees. UNHCR’s country appeal for $107.1 million was just 28 per cent funded by the end of August.