Cross River SEMA Says 347 Remain Displaced After August Floods, Mudslide
Cross River State Emergency Management Agency says 347 people remain displaced after floods and a mudslide hit parts of the state in August.
According to the agency’s latest assessment, 167 people were rendered homeless by a mudslide in Calabar, while about 180 others were displaced by heavy rainfall in the Central Senatorial District.
The figures were disclosed on September 15, giving a clearer picture of the continuing human impact weeks after the original disasters.
Families Still Living With the Aftermath
Although the flooding and mudslide occurred in August, displacement has continued into September.
SEMA says affected residents are being sheltered at different locations in Calabar and communities in the Central Senatorial District.
The agency also says relief materials and financial assistance have been provided by government and private donors as authorities work to support affected families.
But the current reporting does not establish how much assistance each household has received or when displaced residents will be permanently resettled.
That makes the story more than a record of extreme rainfall.
For hundreds of residents, the disaster has become an ongoing question of shelter, recovery and whether they can safely return to stable living conditions.
SEMA Points to Natural and Human Causes
Cross River SEMA Director-General Efa Nyong said both natural events and human activity contribute to disaster risks across the state.
He identified indiscriminate refuse disposal as one factor that can worsen flooding by blocking drainage systems.
The agency says it has begun disaster-prevention sensitisation in communities across the Southern and Central Senatorial Districts and plans to extend the campaign to the North.
Local emergency committees form the first line of response, with cases beyond their capacity escalated to SEMA and, where necessary, the National Emergency Management Agency.
The Nigerian Red Cross is also involved in shelter and assistance efforts for affected residents.
The Accountability Question Has Shifted to Recovery
The immediate rainfall may have passed, but the public-interest test now centres on recovery.
Authorities must account for where displaced families are being housed, what relief has reached them, whether damaged homes and infrastructure can be restored, and what measures are being taken to protect communities exposed to further heavy rainfall.
SEMA’s current assessment places the number of displaced people at 347.
What remains unresolved is how quickly those families can move from emergency shelter to recovery — and whether preventive measures will reduce the impact of the next major rainfall.
What happens next: IDNN will track relief delivery, shelter conditions, resettlement and any updated assessment from Cross River SEMA or NEMA.