5 Die, 75 Injured In 2023 Flooding – NEMA

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said five persons have died while 75 others have been injured in 2023 flooding so far across the country.

This was revealed during the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF), meeting in Abuja, yesterday.

While elaborating on the impact of this year’s flooding, the director of Special Duties of NEMA, Hajia Fatima Kasim in a presentation stated: “As at 9th August 2023, the number of states affected are 10, number of persons affected are 33,983, number of persons displaced are 7,353, number of persons injured are 75, and number of deaths are five.”

Kasim added that the number of houses totally damaged so far are 1,679 while the number of farmlands totally damaged are 866 hectares.

According to the agency, the figures are expected to rise in the coming months.

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This is even as the director-general of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed said the agency is committed and ready for effective coordination of emergency and humanitarian activities for efficient service delivery during the 2023 flooding.

He said: “As part of efforts by the agency to prepare for and mitigate possible flood disasters this year, various steps have been taken including the production and dissemination of Climate–Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategies based on the 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released by NiMet and the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by NIHSA; production of flood risk maps; writing letters to state governments whose states may likely be affected by the impending climate-related disaster in 2023 based on NiMet’s 2023 SCP and NIHSA’s 2023 AFO on the need to take proactive steps; de-escalation of the early warning messages to states; TV and radio appearances; TV and radio jingles and issuing press releases, among others.

“In the event of occurrence of flood or other disasters, NEMA will continue to work with other government partners to provide succour including food and non food items to affected people in the IDPs camps and the host communities while building their resilience through livelihood supports, especially with the distribution of agricultural inputs and other livelihood items.”

Meanwhile, the director-general of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Engr. Clement Nze while giving an update on the flood situation of the country said 20 states have been affected since the rains began this year.

He said, “So far, not less than 20 states of the federation and the FCT have experienced one degree of flooding or the other with over 46 LGAs affected and several casualties recorded and houses submerged.

“The States and the affected LGAs are: Anambra (Onitsha North, Orumba North), Adamawa (Yola North, Machika, Madagali), Abia (Aba South), Akwa Ibom (Uyo), Edo (Benin), Benue (Makurdi), Borno (Bama, Mobbar), Delta (Oshimili South, Warri), Ekiti (Ikole), Imo (Owerri), Kwara (Oke-Ero, Moro), Lagos (Agege, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Ikeja, Alimosho, Kosofe, Ajeromi-Ifelodun), and Ogun (Ota, Yewa North, Yewa South).

Others are “Ondo (Akure North, Ifedore, Odigbo), Oyo (Ido, Ibadan), Niger (Mokwa, Lapai, Katchia, Lavun, Rijau, Magama, Gbako, Bosso, Mariga, Kontagora), Rivers (Oyigbo West), Taraba (Jalingo), and the FCT (AMAC, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kwali).

He said, “Between the months of April, May and June, about 23 LGAs experienced certain degrees of flood-related disasters while in July alone, more than 11 LGAs have experienced some flood disasters.”