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“It was the worst moment of my life,” the 43-year-old fish trader said. Her shop was submerged, and 2 million naira ($1,332) worth of goods were swept away. "I lost everything,” she said.

Maiduguri, the capital of the fragile northern Nigerian state of Borno — which has been at the center of an since 2009 — was one of the hardest hit areas. Dozens of lives were lost, hundreds of thousands were displaced, markets were destroyed, roads cracked, and the city’s Sanda Kyarimi zoo lost nearly 80% of its animals.

The flood, triggered by weeks of relentless rainfall and the collapse of a nearby dam, brought about 15% of the city under water, swallowing entire neighborhoods and sharply worsening existing insurgency-induced humanitarian conditions.

Against the odds, the city has made significant progress in recovering from the disaster. At least seven roads have been rehabilitated, including Fori Road, which had photos of its neighborhoods submerged in flood water circulating widely in the media. Local residents and officials put their success down to a mixture of adequate financial support and the resilient spirit of those in the community used to pulling together in tough times after years of political uncertainty and security concerns.

Adam Bababe, Executive Secretary of the Borno Geographic Information Service, said that just over 18 billion naira ($12 million) was given to the more than 100,000 households affected by the flooding. He said a further 4.3 billion naira ($2.8 million) from U.N. agencies and other partners helped toward relief efforts. And the state government stepped in with an additional 20 billion naira ($13.2 million) for infrastructure repairs and food procurement, he said.

But the government's response did not come immediately, and official camps were only opened for displaced families in the days that followed. With official aid taking time to mobilize, young people stepped in to help.

“My friends and I came together to donate clothes and cooking materials for those who lost their homes and shop owners in less affected areas opened their doors, offering shelter until the government set up an official camp three days later,” said Ijasini Ijani, a local resident.

Lawan Maigana, a media professional, quickly assembled a team of young volunteers and leveraged his Facebook presence to raise millions of naira that primarily funded food for affected people, mostly women, children and the elderly.

In severely damaged areas where people were trapped and unable to cook for themselves, Maigana's team started making meals and delivering them using canoes provided by the military.

And thanks to friends and family members, Felix, the fish trader, raised enough money to restart her business. “My business is back, and in fact, it’s even better than last year,” she said.

More than a decade of insurgency has helped the city grow resilient and develop a sense of community solidarity, Ijani said. “People quickly moved on and were helping one another. Even amid the disaster and in the days that followed, people went out struggling to trade and live normally," he said.

Maiduguri’s recovery extends beyond the markets reopening, infrastructure repair, or households getting relief assistance.

The Sanda Kyarimi Park is back to normal, too, according to Ali Abacha Don Best, the zoological garden's manager. “Many (animals) were killed and some escaped, including crocodiles and snakes. But we were able to rebuild everything," he said.

For Alai Bakura, 19, the zoo's revival marks a return to childhood joys during Muslims' Eid celebrations and his friends' birthdays.

“I feel happy to be able to use it again after the zoo was reopened after the flood. I feel happy to be able to enjoy it like before,” Bakura said.

As part of long-term restoration efforts, the rebuilding of the collapsed dam was officially launched on Saturday. The Nigerian government said the project would be completed in two phases over 24 months, and would cost 80 billion naira ($53 million).

When it is fully completed in 2027, the dam will support expanded irrigation channels to improve agriculture and water supply. The first phase between March and September will focus on urgent rehabilitation to prevent future flooding, said Joseph Utsev, the water resources minister.

“We have fought through the era, and we survived the flood,” Felix, the fish trader, said. “With the Lord’s help, we keep moving forward.”

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