Flood: Benue SEMA Launches Grassroots Sensitisation, Early‑Warning Campaign

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (Benue‑SEMA) have launched a grassroots sensitisation and early‑warning campaign to reduce flood risk in vulnerable communities as the rainy season intensifies.

Acting on 2026 flood predictions from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), both agencies deployed response and awareness teams to Bambam community behind the Modern Market in Makurdi Local Government Area.

At a meeting on Tuesday at the residence of community leader Zaki Alfred Ankon, NEMA Search and Rescue officer Felix Adua and Benue‑SEMA Information Officer Tema Ager warned residents of a looming flood threat and urged immediate preventive measures.

Tema Ager said Benue‑SEMA, under Executive Secretary Sir‑James Aondoakaa Iorpuu, has intensified community‑based early‑warning activities across flood‑prone areas of the state.

He urged residents to clear drainage channels and gutters, avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and refrain from building or settling in low‑lying areas, stressing that proactive community action is critical to reducing flood damage.

Responding, community leader Zaki Alfred Ankon commended the agencies for the timely campaign and appealed to the Benue State Government to clear blocked access roads and extend the drainage canal from the Idye Basin to the Bambam Basin to address persistent flooding.

As part of the exercise, the teams presented flood control and safety materials to community leaders to boost public awareness and