Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has urged the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on the ravaging flood that has devastated lives and property in the state and other states in the country.

Diri made the appeal at an emergency Security Council meeting in Yenagoa.

He said the essence of the meeting was to brainstorm with heads of various security agencies to assess the situation holistically and seek ways to mitigate the impact of the natural disaster.

Diri in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Sunday, lamented the magnitude of this year’s flooding, which he noted had surpassed that of 2012.

He also noted that the flooding had severely  impacted communities, homes and road infrastructure, which had resulted in the state being cut off from neighboring states of Rivers and Delta states.