More than 46,000 residents have been affected by massive flooding in the three payams of Puk, Rialthiang, and Rihah in Unity State’s Mayom County, the commissioner said.
Commissioner Luke Chierye Riek told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that the floods resulted from torrential rains that started at the beginning of October and have destroyed crops and livelihoods.
He said 46,000 individuals have now been displaced and are in urgent need of relief assistance.
“The people that have been affected by heavy floods and most crops have been affected. Our people are suffering from the floods and we do not have a way to support them,” he said. “We are working on dykes at the level of county and appeal to the state and national governments to support the flood victims in Mayom and other counties in Unity State.”
The commissioner said that they conducted several meetings with the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and NGOs to address the issue.
One of the flood-affected people, Jany Gatluak, told this publication that their crops and livestock have been affected by the floods which have destroyed more than 500 farms.
“46,000 residents have been affected and people were forced to leave the areas of Puk, Rialthiang, and Rihah to Ruthnyyaibol Payam where we are sheltering within Mayom County,” he said. “We need enough excavators to construct dykes to control the floods.”
Nyaguini Kiel Gatjiak, another flood victim and mother of five, said the floods forced them out at night last week.
“All our homes and property were destroyed by heavy floods,” Kiel said.
The residents appealed to humanitarian organizations and the state and national governments to assist them with relief including non-food items, mosquito nets, and medicine.