ABUJA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 64 communities in Kogi State of Nigeria's central region have been submerged following a flood disaster on Sept. 3 and 4, an official said on Thursday.
More than 150 households have been trapped by the flooding in Kotonkarfe neighborhood of the state, said James Ahmadu, a director of the Kogi Emergency Management Agency.
Ahmadu said five temporary camps have been set up for the victims.
"This is a natural disaster but we (the emergency management agency) will do our best to respond as fast as we can to ensure that those people that are trapped are rescued," the official said.
He said people living in flood-prone areas in the state have been contacted to relocate to the upland.
Last week, Nigeria's Hydrological Services Agency issued a red alert on flooding in Kogi and six other states across Nigeria, citing increasingly high river levels.
At least three major dams have started releasing water as high flow from the upper catchment of the Niger basin continues to move downstream to Nigeria.
Earlier this year, heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigeria's economic center and one of Africa's most populous cities.
Some of the worst flooding in recent memory happened five years ago in March 2012 when 32 of Nigeria's 36 states were affected, 24 severely. More than 360 people were killed and almost 2 million people were displaced. Enditem
