South-South Stakeholders Prepare For Flood

Stakeholders in South-South region have stated that plans are in advanced stage for the evacuation of flood-prone communities amid disaster predictions.

The stakeholders from Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers responded to a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the extent of planning to check flood disaster.

They also said they had desilted the drains, embarked on public enlightenment to sensitise the residents on actions to reduce flooding, and for the rural communities to prepare themselves for evacuation.

Speaking in Cross River, Mrs Mmandu Aisueni, Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Uyo Operations Office, said the agency had embarked on the assessment of the flood-prone communities.

Also speaking in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, the NEMA Head of Operations, Aisueni, said measures had been in place to check flooding and save lives.

She said part of the measures was the commencement of sensitisation programme being carried out by NEMA and other stakeholders across the state to inform the people to make preparations in case of flooding.

In Rivers, Mr Eric Ebhodaghe, South-South Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, said the agency had achieved 90 percent readiness to mitigate the anticipated flooding in both in Rivers and Bayelsa.

He stated the proactive measures include enhanced early warning systems, large-scale flood simulations, and community sensitisation campaigns, to minimise the impact of potential flooding.