A windstorm, which swept through the Umuejem community in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State has claimed the life of a middle-aged man and left three others critically injured.Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, led by the acting Head of the Imo-Abia Operations Office, Mr Chidi Ogundu, confirmed the casualty figure to journalists during an assessment of the community on Thursday.Ogundu noted that 575 persons were displaced by the disaster, while no fewer than 35 houses and business premises were destroyed.“We are conducting a joint assessment with other humanitarian agencies in Owerri to ascertain the level of damage caused by the windstorm,” he stated.The windstorm also wreaked havoc on Umuejem village in Obinze community and caused a wide range of damage.“Residential buildings, churches, business premises and critical infrastructure were completely destroyed, leaving a lot of people in agony,” Ogundu said.He added that as of the time of the assessment by the joint team, one life was lost and three persons sustained varying degrees of injury and were receiving treatment in a hospital, adding that the assessment further revealed that millions of naira worth of goods and properties were damaged.
Ogundu commiserated with the victims and promised to let relevant authorities know about the incident and their plight for possible assistance.
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