Abstract
Nigeria witnessed unprecedented flooding in recent times. This paper examines the impact of the flood disasters
on critical social factors related to health and wellbeing ( income, housing, education, health care, safety and
mental health). The authors sought information from newspapers and other sources (NEMA, WHO reports). The
reports revealed massive loss of human lives and livestock, homes, property and livelihood especially in the
coastal states along the bank of River Niger and Benue. Some of the states worst hit include Benue, Adamawa,
Anambra, Bauchi, Kogi, Edo, Bayesa, Delta, Niger, Taraba, and Kano. The devastation caused by the floods
could not be adequately contained due to infrastructural (shelters, health centers, classrooms, etc) and logistic
deficiencies (inadequate personnel and facilities) Micro and macro level interventions such as development and
enforcement of land use policies; construction of mobile clinics in affected areas; mobilization/recruitment and
training of multi disciplinary response teams (social workers, public health professionals, physicians, nurses,
psychologists, clergy; etc.) Aside from current local responses, a well-coordinated sustainable international
collaborations/partnerships among schools of social work and public health to address the social needs arising
from flooding and other climate change issues in Nigeria are needed, in the spirit of North-South cooperation
