Lara Adejoro, Abuja
The National Emergency Management Agency has deployed its emergency response team to Kogi State following the flooding of some communities in the state.
This move is to help in proactively monitor the flood situation across the country, according to a statement by the agency on Wednesday.
The statement noted that the team comprises of staff with specialisation in search and rescue to provide technical support to the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, and other stakeholders conducting rescue and evacuation operations, including assessments in the affected communities.
The Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar said the Agency has also deployed mobile water purification equipment to help in providing emergency clean water for the impacted families.
Recall that NEMA had recently alerted states identified to be at risk of flooding to be prepared ahead of any eventuality.
While alerting the states, Umar also announced that the agency had activated all its zonal, territorial and operations offices and prepositioned critical equipment for timely response, search and rescue as well as evacuation of persons to safer higher grounds.
The frontline states identified to be at risk of the flooding were Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Kwara.
“With the activation and deployment, NEMA offices nationwide and technical officers will work with the relevant State Ministries, Departments and Agencies to establish Emergency Operation Centres for coordination and activation of local actors for the emergency response.
“These will include advocacy to communities at risk, evacuation planning, identification of safe high ground for temporary shelters and prepositioning of equipment for evacuation and rescue. Sector leads have also been alerted to provide priority needs to the impacted persons in the event of displacement of persons into Internally Displaced Persons camps and other safer locations,” it noted.
It added that the agency is coordinating with the Military Disaster Response Units, Nigeria Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corp to deploy their Disaster Response personnel, Police Marine and Disaster Management Units operatives respectively where necessary and the Nigerian Red Cross Society to also activate its volunteers.
“The Director General NEMA advises residents in flood-prone areas, especially communities along Rivers Benue and Niger to remain vigilant and cooperate with emergency service providers as the Agency continues to monitor the situation closely,” it concluded.
In Kogi State, over 200 communities have already been submerged with close to two million people displaced as flood disaster devastated the state.
Kogi, Lokoja, Adavi, Ofu, Ajaokuta, Idah, and Ibaji are some of the affected local government areas in the state.
Data obtained from NEMA’s website showed that as of 14th October 2024, 1,659 persons have been affected, 517 persons have been displaced, 1,601 houses have been affected in the state.
So far in 2024, 33 states across 208 local government areas have been affected by floods in the country.
The data also revealed that 317 lives have been lost, 1,279,094 persons affected, 713,691 persons have been displaced, 117,071 houses have been affected, 2,852 injuries have been sustained, and 180,828 cultivated farmlands affectedaffected as a result of the floods in the country.
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