IMPENDING FLOOD: NEMA RAISES ALARM, CALLS FOR GRASSROOTS AWARENESS IN ANAMBRA

REPORTER:IFEANYIACHUKWU CHINWUKO

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called on state and local governments, traditional institutions, faith-based organizations, other relevant public and private institutions to support the agency in its initiative of downscaling flood early warning and mitigation messages to the grassroots.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, made the call during the commencement of the 2024 flood early warning sensitization in Awka, Anambra State.

She noted that everyone must be actively involved in order to drastically reduce the adverse impacts of floods on the entire landscape and the Nigerian population.

Mrs. Umar while admitting that Anambra State had in the past suffered severe flooding in terms of spatial coverage, severe losses, and damage as well as fatalities, commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for all the measures his administration had put in place to reduce the occurrence of avoidable losses in the state.

Governor Soludo, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, appealled to the Federal Government for more construction of dams and embarkment, which would help in containing the ravaging flood.

The Governor also assured NEMA that the state government was committed to providing succour to those affected by the flood and appealed for more support from the agency in the fight against flooding.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chief Paul Odenigbo, listed the 10 flood-prone Local Government Areas in the State.

They include Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, Ayamelum, Ekwusigo, Idemili South, Ihiala, Ogbaru, Onitsha North and Onitsha South.

He said that SEMA in collaboration with NEMA among other relevant stakeholders, would continue to engage in serious public awareness campaign to enlighten and sensitize stakeholders of the flood prone communities to the coming heavy rain and its consequential flood.

Government functionaries, traditional rulers, security personnel, religious leaders, members of the academia, presidents- general, members of the disability rights commission, nigerian red cross were among participants in the event.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU