The Rivers State Government has extended its flood relief intervention to residents of Eneka in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, providing N200,000 cash assistance to affected households and enrolling victims in the state’s health insurance scheme for one year of free healthcare.
The Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Rivers State Flood Prevention Management Committee, Prof. Ngozi Nma-Odu, disclosed this during the distribution of the cash support to flood-affected residents at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
Nma-Odu represented by the Head of Service of the Rivers State Civil Service, Inyingi Brown, said the intervention was carried out on the directive of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as part of the state government’s comprehensive response to the devastating floods that affected several communities across the state.
According to her, the government adopted a three-pronged approach to cushion the impact of the disaster on affected residents.
She explained that the first phase involved the distribution of relief materials to affected communities, while the second phase focused on enrolling flood victims in the Rivers State Health Insurance Scheme, giving beneficiaries access to free healthcare for one year.
She said the N200,000 cash support constituted the third phase of the intervention.
The Deputy Governor noted that although the financial assistance could not replace the property and livelihoods lost to the flood, it was intended to cushion the economic hardship faced by affected residents.
Nma-Odu also urged beneficiaries to take full advantage of the healthcare coverage provided by the state government, adding that they would be directed to designated health facilities where they could access medical treatment.
She assured residents that the government was also addressing some of the environmental factors contributing to the recurring flooding in the area.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Chief Echebiri Wobidi appealed to the state government to urgently rehabilitate and open up drainage channels in Eneka to tackle the recurring flooding.
Wobidi commended Nma-Odu for leading the state’s flood intervention efforts and for personally visiting affected communities to assess the impact of the disaster.
