Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that a total of 227,494 persons were displaced in the floods that impacted 27 states in Nigeria and that 32,837 houses were damaged by the floods.
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that that 16,488 hectares of farmland with crops were also affected by floods.
“NEMA shall continue with public sensitisation as well as grassroots awareness through advocacies and workshops on solid waste management to raise public consciousness on the clearance of blocked drainages and waterways.
“So far, based on statistics from the NEMA Emergency Operations Centre established for the flood monitoring and coordination of resource deployment, 27 states have been impacted, with a total of 227,494 persons affected and 32,837 houses damaged, as well as 16,488 hectares of farmland with crops also damaged,” Umar said,
She urged State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) and community leaders to be prepared for rapid flood response and reassured farmers not to panic about the temporary dry spell, as it would end soon according to NiMet’s predictions.
Umar said that the communities at risk of flooding and those living along waterways should relocate to safer, higher grounds ahead of the peak of the rainy season.
She called on all stakeholders, especially SEMAs and community leaders, to be ready to activate, at short notice, plans and preparations for floods with the increasing incidents in some parts of the country.
The NEMA boss, however, reaffirmed the commitment of the agency to coordinate and provide necessary support towards efficient disaster management across the country. She said NEMA has rapidly mobilised efforts to assess the damage caused by floods nationwide, adding that the agency was also coordinating relief operations with the various SEMAs.
This highlights NEMA’s proactive stance and readiness to address the nationwide crisis, the agency said.
GIK/APA