Biseni Rainstorm: Legislator pledges to facilitate relief to victims in Bayelsa

Mr Douye Diri, Member, representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma federal constituency, on the platform of PDP, has pledged to facilitate relief to hundreds of people rendered homeless in a rainstorm on March 5.

Some residents of Kilama, Tein, Tambiri, Egbebiri communities within Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa were affected by the natural disaster.

The whirlwind blew away the roofs of over 70 houses, five churches and three schools.

Diri who visited the community in his constituency on Monday to assess the level of destruction said a team of property valuers would be engaged to assess the damage.

He said that no form of emergency relief had been provided to the community one week after the incident, while the victims were still counting their losses.

Diri, who led a team to inspect the extent of damage done to Biseni community said evaluation of destruction was an urgent action to guide anyone or groups coming with support and relief.

“To those who are affected, we have started with a process, and it is process to assess the level of damage and analyse the destruction, to know how many affected.

“We would need a professional property evaluator to do that in no distant time.

“We will also follow up with international oil companies, follow up with government ministries, agencies and departments at federal and state levels to take urgent relief action”, Diri pledged.

He appealed to the people of Biseni community to keep the peace and called on the relevant government agencies at the state and federal levels including oil multinationals to identify with the victims.

The federal lawmaker noted that timely response by the relevant stakeholders to natural disasters would restore hope and assuage sufferings of victims of across the country.

“When I get back to Abuja, I will raise my voice on this natural disaster by a motion on the floor. The world need to know what has befallen our people.

“I also call on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, to respond immediately to this disaster and to all others that happened across the country. That is what government should do”, he said.

Chief Difference Nemiya, paramount ruler in Kilama said that the incident which occurred in the evening of March 5, 2018 also destroyed many plantations, farm crops and economic trees.

‘‘This natural disaster is the worst I have witnessed in this community.
‘‘There was one (disaster) that happened in the year 2000, but it was not this bad.

‘‘As we speak we are still counting our losses and the community is in an emergency mood.

“The secretary of the community and some community leaders assigned to visit affected families have been going round and accessing the damages and how it affected our neighbouring settlements.

“Most of those displaced have nowhere to go and we need emergency help from relevant government agencies to bring relief and succour to the affected people,” Nemiya said.

Mrs May Zuku, a 75-years-old widow said that the disaster, which happened within two weeks of her husband’s demise, was too much grief for her to bear.

She appealed to the Yenagoa Local Government, Bayelsa Government and public-spirited individuals to assist with rehabilitating her husband’s residence destroyed by the incident.

The lawmaker representing Yenagoa constituency III in the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Mr Gentle Emelah, who noted that it was a thing of joy that no life was lost, empahsised the need to restore electricity in the community immediately.

“The only consolation is that no life was lost. The damage was colossal on the social and economic impact on the life of the people.

“My appeal is for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately come to the aid of the people.

“Also, the State Emergency Agency should step in, equally the Ministry of Energy should liaise with oil multinationals operating here to ensure that power is restored to the community.

“I am going to sponsor a motion on this by Tuesday to let the whole world know about the calamity in the community”, Emelah stated.