Heavy rainfall disconnects bridge linking three states
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Heavy rainfall in the wee hours of Monday flooded and disconnected the Katarko Bridge, 22 kilometres from Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State.
A flood alert by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on its verified social media handles stated that the bridge was completely disconnected from the road.
Katarko bridge is one of the major bridges along the Damaturu/Buni Yadi/Biu road that links the state with southern Borno, Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba States.
In July 2014, Boko Haram launched an attack on Katarto. During the attack, the terror group killed10 people and destroyed the bridge cutting off access to Buni Yadi which was then under its control.
The statement said the flood also affected other communities in Gulani and Gujba.
“Katarko Bridge Disconnected due to heavy rain resulting to over flooding.
“In the early hours of 30th August 2022, Yobe SEMA received the sad news of Katarko Bridge being Disconnected from the main road. This is the bridge linking Damaturu to Gujba, Gulani and Biu LGAs.
“Already there are incidence of Flooding in Mutai, Buni Yadi and Gulani Communities which calls for major concerns, especially in Mutai. Yobe SEMA has already reached out to the military to provide a barricade in Katarko as more civilians are trooping the scene to avoid civilian casualties.
“While this may affect immediate live-saving support to communities already affected by Flood and or recovering from conflict, Yobe State Government is improvising alternative routes to reach to persons of concern as well as reconnect the affected communities”, the statement said.
The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mohammed Goje told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive phone interview that, the “Mutai community has been completely washed away by the flood”.
He added that his agency could not get access to the Mutai community to deliver relief materials because of the incident at Katarko.
“We were on our way to Mutai this morning but we are stuck here at Katarko. We cannot get access to Mutai to deliver relief materials because of this development. “As at yesterday, only ten houses were standing at Mutai village. The entire community has been washed off by the flood,” Mr Goje informed.
PREMIUM TIMES’ findings reveal that flooding in Yobe has been on the rise.
Within two months, more than12 communities have been flooded. In the Gulani and Gujba areas of the state major bridges linking several communities reportedly collapsed.
The military had undertaken to construct one of the damaged bridges.
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