Inaku
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
No fewer than 61 people were displaced and N98 million worth of property damaged by fire out break within the last six months in Cross River communities.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to our correspondent by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Calabar.
It stated that the fire disaster which occurred in some local government areas of the state razed residential buildings, household property, small scale factories and farms.
Mr. John Inaku, Director-General of SEMA, said that the frequency of the phenomenon had been worrisome.Inaku who was on assessment visit to disaster scenes in Calabar metropolis and Obubra Local Government area attributed the disasters to human induced activities.
He said the fire disaster was induced by “indiscriminate use of fire, power upsurge from electricity supply and careless exposure of inflammables to combustion’’. He advised that in order to check the trend, t“he consciousness of the dangers of fire outbreak must sink into the mindsets of people’’.
According to him the disaster has not only inflicted heavy economic damage to victims’ families but also to the immediate community and the state in general. Inaku restated that the sustained campaign against activities that could culminate in fire outbreaks should be heeded to by residents of the state.
He also commended stakeholders and the state Fire Service for their commitment in combating fires, adding that the attitude should be sustained. Inaku, who presented relief items including blankets, towels, buckets, toiletries to victims of the disaster, symphatised with them and prayed for speedy recovery for the injured.
Reacting, a victim of a burnt residential building in Calabar Municipality, Mr. Ikpi Obeteng thanked Inaku for the magnanimity. He said he lost property worth 5 million naira in the inferno while his displaced family of nine had been squatting with neighbours.
At Ochon in Obubra where a 24-room apartment was razed, Inaku urged the victims to remain calm. He said that Government would seek plausible means of assisting in ther rehabilitation.
The landlord of the building, Mr. Kerian Agbor said that over 30 persons were displaced while their personal effects and property were lost. Agbor appealed to government and other philanthropic organisations to assist the victims.
He said his family members were sleeping in the open and often exposed to inclement weather without food, clothing and other essentials since the incident occurred about a week ago. He commended SEMA for the relief materials presented and assured that it will go a long way in cushioning the effects of the disaster.
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