The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has donated relief materials to more than 20 victims of wind storm at Sabongari Bassa community, in the Kwali Area Council, of the Territory.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the storm which occurred in February 2014, destroyed many houses, a school, and a church, among others.
The Director-General of the agency Alhaji Abbas Idriss, who made this known to NAN yesterday, listed the items to include mattresses, pillows, rice, gari, beans, roofing sheets, wrappers, nails, blankets and bags of cement.
“We gave them all these materials as succour because it is our mandate, even though the chairman of the council had earlier given them some relief materials.
“The cement and other building materials were given to those whose houses were destroyed to rebuild them, while other affected victims also benefited,” he added.
Idriss attributed the incident to desertification in the area and urged members of the community to plant more trees.
According to him, the agency is planning to set up Local Emergency Committees in the six area councils soon, to serve as the first respondent in any emergency situation.
He adds: “The local emergency committee will represent FEMA in these communities and they will work with us to ensure disaster risk reduction in the locality.”
He identified the major challenge of the agency as dearth of funding, noting that budgetary allocation was inadequate to tackle disaster management.
“We want private organisations to assist us in disaster management; we only receive funds from the FCT Administration and it is not enough to tackle disasters,’’ he said. (NAN)
