Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has said the flooding in the state was overwhelming and beyond what the government alone can handle.

The Governor in a statewide radio and television broadcast consequently appealed for assistance from the federal government, local and international organisations as well as public-spirited individuals.

According to him, the current flood has severely impacted lives and livelihoods, with nearly a million people in over three communities displaced and some deaths reported.

He said he had toured several of the ravaged communities and seen first-hand the extent of the destruction as the flood water empties into Bayelsa state.

Governor Diri lamented that the state has been severed from the rest of the country as portions of the East-West Road, which is the sole access to and from the state between Ughelli and Patani in Delta State as well as Okogbe and Ahoada in Rivers State have collapsed.

He said economic hardship has set in as food; medical provisions, electricity and fuel supply were now in short supply and getting worse by the day.

The Governor appealed to vendors, particularly of fuel, food, water and pharmaceuticals not to exploit the situation and also cautioned officials in charge of the distribution of the relief materials to be non-partisan as the disaster knew no political party.

He also stated that the state’s Task Force on Flood Mitigation and Management in liaison with the State Emergency Management Agency had established internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps and providing relief materials and medical supplies for victims of the flood.