By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it has inaugurated Special Committee on the 2020 flood yesterday in Abuja .
A statement signed by Manzo Ezekiel,Press Unit NEMA, said the agency is stepping up preparation for comprehensive response to impending flood as predicted for this year in order to adequately prepare, mitigate and respond in saving lives and providing support to the communities at risk.
Director General of NEMA Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Muhammed (rtd) while inaugurating the committee said that the Agency has adopted the strategy to improve on the management of flood situations in the country.
He said “flood has been a perennial phenomenon in Nigeria that has caused widespread devastation, resulting in loss of lives and damages to personal property and the critical public infrastructure.”
“According to the 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, the general outlook of annual rainfall is predicted to be normal and above normal in Nigeria, thus some places are expected to have above normal rainfall which may result in flood. Already some communities have started to experience flash floods with associated impacts.”
The Director General of NEMA who was represented by the Director Planning Research and Forecasting Mr Kayode Fagbemi noted that “we are not going to wait to just respond to the forecasted flood this year.”
He also said that “we can proffer solutions to the perennial floods in our nation. We may not be able to determine the magnitude of the rain that may fall, but we can decide to help reduce the negative impact in our communities.
With the release of the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (Nimet) and Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) respectively, the National Emergency Management Agency has commenced advocacy and awareness creation to mobilize all relevant stakeholders including the State Governors and communities at risk to take necessary steps towards averting or minimizing losses from the predicted disaster.
Members of the Committee are drawn from NEMA and representatives from the stakeholders organizations including the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
