A non-governmental organisation, Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Accountability (SACA), has commenced a flood impact response intervention programme in Bayelsa State.
The programme include medical outreach beside distribution of foodstuffs, and other palliatives aimed at mitigating the impact of the floods in the state.
According to the Executive-Director of SACA, Mr Kingsley Ozegbe, the first phase of the programme will hold across nine focal communities of SACA, and Agbura Community, in Yenagoa Council Area of the state, was chosen to kick-start it.
Noting that the impact of the floods have unleashed untold economic hardship on victims and communities, Ozegbe said aside the medical outreach, which will enable them know the health status and treatment of investigated illnesses in victims, the NGO would also be distributing food stuffs to impacted focal communities, and also administer questionnaires on victims for a post-flood intervention outreach, which is also expected to be carried out by SACA, upon concluding its flood response scheme.
“We’ve a team of Medical Doctors and other medical professionals who would be medically examining and treating victims impacted by the flood.
“This programme is tagged: ‘SACA flood response intervention’. It’s expected to take place first in nine out of our 41 focal communities across Bayelsa State. But, we’ve begun in Agbura today, we’ve nine days for the first nine communities.
“But in total, we intend to reach out to 24 Communities first. However, we wanted to begin this programme first in nine Communities before reaching out to the remaining ones”, the SACA’s executive-director said.
The Tide learnt that SACA is funded by Misean Cara of Ireland and the St. Patrick Missionary Society, and that the flood response programme is carried out by SACA in partnership with the Bayelsa State Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment, respectively.
Reacting to the NGO’s flood response programme, the Agbura Community through its Deputy paramount ruler, HRH.Rex Okpoto, commended SACA for the initiative, saying prior to the coming of the Ngo, the community was almost left out in the scheme of things concerning flood impact.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Mrs Anita Etele lauded SACA for its magnanimity, noting that she saw in the conduct of the NGO its desire and willingness of ameliorating their plights as impacted victims of the devastating floods.
Meanwhile, the Head, Medical Outreach of the SACA’S flood response intervention programme, Dr. Maria Okpomu-keme, has said their medical findings revealed that there were prevalent cases of malaria, typhoid, blood pressure issues and skin infections occasioned by the floodings amongst patients attended to.
She advised impacted victims to make themselves available for medical examination and possible treatment so as to enable them live a heathy life as the floods continue to recedes across impacted areas of the state.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa