Imo State government yesterday inaugurated 135 people as Local Government Emergency Management Committee (LGEMC) responders for flood and environmental disasters across the 27 council areas of the state.
The 135 responders, drawn five each from the 27 local government areas, were inaugurated in Owerri, the Imo State capital, during an ongoing two-day training session.
Governor Hope Uzodimma represented by the Secretary to the Government of Imo State (SGI), Chief Cosmas Iwu performed the inauguration.
Iwu said the LGEMC was set up as first emergency responders to intervene in any issue of environmental disaster in the 27 local government areas of Imo State.
He said during flood emergencies, the distance from Owerri often delayed officials from the National and State Emergency Management Agencies from rushing to affected areas. He added that the LGEMC will henceforth be on the ground to immediately respond to disaster issues ahead of the arrival of experts.
The SGI said, “Governor Uzodimma doesn’t wait for disaster to happen before he takes measures. The importance of the LGEMC is to ensure that flood and environmental disasters are reduced to a minimum.
“Most times, these disasters occur in the hinterlands and then the government has to send people from Owerri to such places. But with the LGEMC, they have been trained and equipped to handle such disasters and other minor environmental issues.
“You all saw how the Governor rescued the residents of Chukwuma Nwaoha using balloon technology from flood and today those people have all returned to their properties which they abandoned because of flood.
With LGEMC, Imo is fully prepared against flood and such disasters”, the SGI said.
The permanent secretary of Economic Affairs Bureau, Cabinet Office, Mr. Joseph Odoemenam, explained that the inauguration of LGEMC will strengthen early warning and early action mechanisms across the 27 local government areas, reduce disaster mortality, injury, and economic losses, and improve collaboration among communities, LGAs, SEMA, and NEMA.
Odoemenam said it will boost enhanced awareness and sensitization on disaster preparedness, environmental protection, and institutionalization of grassroots emergency structures.
He said, “In line with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) act and the mandate of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Imo State has taken a strategic step towards strengthening disaster risk reduction and response capacity at the grassroots level through the inauguration of Local Government Emergency Management Committees (LGEMCs). The inauguration marks a significant milestone in decentralising disaster management responsibilities and ensuring that preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts are embedded within all 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
“The establishment of LGEMCs in Imo State will decentralise disaster management and response, improve community engagement, improve risk identification and mitigation, foster capacity building, and better coordination for local response efforts with SEMA, NEMA, and other relevant agencies”, the permanent secretary said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Imo and Abia states National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Nnamdi Igwe, disclosed that the LGEMCs will be trained and provided with fire blankets, extinguishers, reflective jackets, a first aid box, and other emergency kits to enhance their emergency response in any location.
Igwe said the LGEMCs will replicate NEMA interventions in local government areas, adding that youth corpers will also be trained to assist in emergency management because of their spread.
