RismadarVoice Reporters
September 15, 2026
At least 347 residents have been displaced by mudslides and flooding that affected parts of Cross River State in August, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has disclosed.
The Director-General of Cross River SEMA, Efa Nyong, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Calabar on Tuesday.
Nyong said a mudslide in Calabar rendered 167 people homeless, while another 180 residents were displaced by heavy rainfall in the Central Senatorial District.
He said the affected residents were currently taking refuge at different locations across Calabar and communities in the Central Senatorial District.
According to the SEMA chief, the disasters were caused by a combination of natural factors and human activities.
“Basically, two things are happening. They are happening out of natural occurrence and, secondly, out of human activity. That is all that is happening currently in the state as regards disasters,” he said.
Nyong, who assumed office on July 14, said he had visited communities in the Southern and Central Senatorial Districts as part of efforts to educate residents on disaster prevention and preparedness.
He said the agency would extend the sensitisation campaign to the Northern Senatorial District before commencing a statewide advocacy programme involving billboards, radio jingles and town criers.
The SEMA director-general identified indiscriminate waste disposal as one of the major factors contributing to flooding in the state.
He warned that improperly discarded refuse could obstruct drainage channels and cause flooding several kilometres away from the point where the waste was dumped.
“When people throw waste indiscriminately, it may not show its impact immediately where it is dumped. Its impact could be a couple of kilometres away from where the activity was carried out,” Nyong explained.
On fire outbreaks, he advised residents to switch off electrical appliances when they are not in use, replace faulty cables and bulbs promptly and upgrade electrical wiring where necessary.
Explaining the state’s emergency response structure, Nyong said Local Emergency Management Committees, coordinated by local government vice-chairmen, serve as the first point of response during disasters.
He explained that incidents beyond the capacity of the local committees are escalated to SEMA, and subsequently to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) when necessary.
“Where we cannot manage it at the level of the state, we push it further to NEMA; when they cannot manage it at that level, we begin to seek international assistance,” he said.
Nyong identified the Nigerian Red Cross Society as one of SEMA’s major partners in providing shelter and other forms of assistance to displaced residents.
On the financial impact of the disasters, he said it was difficult to determine the total value of the damage because of fluctuations in the naira.
He, however, said government and private donors had provided relief materials and financial support, while the agency continued efforts to stabilise and resettle the affected residents.
