By Roland Ike, Abakaliki
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has flagged-off its flood early warning, downscaling strategies in Ebonyi to mitigate the adverse effects of the menace in 2024.
The Executive Secretary of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar said during the flag-off that emphasis was placed on the rural areas where flood occurs mostly.
Umar represented by Dr Ejike Martins, the Agency’s Director of Human Resource Management said the state had been severely impacted by the menace in terms of areal coverage.
“For the 2024 rainy season, some Local Government Areas in the state are predicted to be affected by flood.
“The affected councils are under high and moderate flood risk areas and are already listed in NEMA’s earlier communication to the state government.
“This underscores the importance of this flag-off and I seek stakeholders’ support in downscaling early warning and risk mitigation messages to the grassroots.”
She noted that the devastating impact of flood across the country especially in 2012 and 2022 tasks all tiers of government to collaborate with NEMA in managing disaster risks and associated hazards.
“Lives have been lost, means of livelihood and infrastructure worth billions of naira have been destroyed,”
Umar noted that NEMA banks on the rainfall and flood advisories in the seasonal climate predictory and annual flood outlook of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency.
“They have provided valuable early warning alerts and we are all expected to take steps that would drastically reduce the adverse impact of flood on the entire landscape.
“This impact is especially on the most vulnerable persons living in communities at the risk of flood,”
Gov. Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State commended NEMA for the flag-off in the state noting that it will cooperate with the agency to achieve desired goals.
Nwifuru represented by his Deputy, Mrs Patricia Obila urged the people to be wary of activities which causes flood such as building on water ways, blocking of drainages, indiscriminate felling of trees among others.
“The welfare of the citizens is paramount in our people’s charter of needs mantra and efforts will be intensified to check the loss of livelihood and properties of occasioned by flood.
“The state government will provide funds and other logistics needed to effectively downscale this flood early warning strategies to the grassroots.”
The Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (EB-SEMA) Mr Clement Ovuoba said it will increase its efforts in mitigating predicted flooding and raising flood awareness on the citizens.
Goodwill messages were delivered on the occasion by the State Fire Service, Traditional Rulers Council, Red Cross Society, among other stakeholders.
