National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has directed its zonal, territorial, and operation offices nationwide to work with the State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) in rescue operations and conduct assessments of any incident of a ravaging flood across the country.
In a statement by its director-general, Mrs Zubaida Umar, NEMA said the move furthered its proactive flood risk management.
The NEMA zonal, territorial and operation offices are located in Lagos, Ibadan, Ekiti, Abuja, Minna, Jos, Enugu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Edo, Uyo, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Yola and Gombe.
“Consequently, NEMA search and rescue officers have been deployed across the states, providing the much-desired support in coordinating rescue operations with SEMAs and other stakeholders in recently flooded areas and communities. The agency is also conducting a rapid assessment to determine any further assistance that may be required in the impacted communities,” NEMA’s head of press unit, Manzo Ezekiel, said in the statement he issued at the weekend.
In addition to the ongoing sensitisation and awareness activities, NEMA’s rescue efforts are being carried out to alert the public of the predicted flood and take necessary actions to avert negative impacts.
On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Umar was in Anambra State for flood advocacy. There, she discussed measures to avert and mitigate floods in the state, which often records severe flooding annually.
As part of its pre-rainy season flood prevention advocacy, the agency engaged the media in placing flood sensitisation jingles and held an emergency coordination forum with critical stakeholders to prepare them for the predicted disaster.
NEMA reemphasised the flood warning while calling on all stakeholders, including states and local governments, to be prepared for the intensifying rainy season.
