by Alexander O. Onukwe
With about 44,000 persons, Texas has the largest Nigerian population of any state in the United States. The US state has been experiencing heavy floods over the past few days due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey, resulting in massive losses of property and displacement of persons.
Nigerian Texans make up about 16% of the total number of Nigerians in the USA and there is a chance that a significant number of them may have been affected by the floods and the disaster of the Hurricane. The costs of Harvey has included the erosion of many means of livelihoods of the residents of affected communities, of which there could be Nigerians involved.
Some casual remarks estimate that one of three black persons in Houston, the biggest city in Texas and main focus of Harvey, is a Nigerian. While family members home and abroad could relate on their safety through mediums like marking themselves ‘safe’ on Facebook, some still felt the devastating effects of the Hurricane, as some experiences reported by Sahara Reporters show.
No Nigerians have been reported among the 38 fatalities recorded so far but the situation of losses would become clearer as the level of the water reduces and people begin to gather their live back. More immediate challenges at home, like Makurdi, could mean the government may not be paying much attention to the Nigerian victims of Harvey. But it should be necessary that Nigerians in Diaspora also feel the coverage of the government even if in the least substantial way.
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