The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) sensitized the 17 local government areas of Abia State on Thursday regarding the Downscaling of Flood Early Warning Strategies for early actions in the state.
Speaking during the occasion, the Director General of NEMA, Zabaida Umar, described it as a “very important program of downscaling and sensitization of the 2024 flood early warning strategies for effective early actions to save lives and livelihoods during the rainy season.”
Umar, represented by NEMA Acting Director of Human Resources, Ejike Martins, stated, “The devastating impacts of floods over the years, especially in 2012 and 2022, have served as a wake-up call for all tiers of government to collaborate with NEMA to manage disaster risks and associated hazards. In recent years, lives have been lost, and means of livelihood and infrastructure amounting to billions of Naira have been destroyed due to unmitigated incidences of floods.”
“The rainfall and flood advisories contained in the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), respectively, have provided us with valuable early warning alerts.
Consequently, all of us are expected to take actions that will drastically reduce the adverse impacts of floods on the entire landscape and the Nigerian population, especially the most vulnerable persons living in communities identified to be at risk of flooding.”
“NIHSA has specifically stated in the 2024 AFO that 31 states with 148 LGAs have been predicted to be within high flood risk areas, while 35 states, including the FCT, with 249 LGAs, are considered to fall within moderate flood risk areas.
The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for low flood risk areas.
These flood risk areas are presented with their degree of vulnerability to serve as a tool for governments at all levels to develop risk reduction measures to avert disaster losses during this rainy season.”
“Similarly, sectors such as agriculture and food security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education, health, transportation, protection, and security, among others, are to set up mechanisms for disaster preparedness and risk reduction based on the early action strategies.”
“To safeguard our assets and cultural heritage against the impact of this year’s floods, NEMA, after a two-day Stakeholders’ Technical Meeting in April and Emergency Coordination Forum in May 2024, which analyzed disaster risk management implications of the forecasts, designed and incorporated direct risk communication and engagement approaches to disseminate early warning messages for early actions at the state, local government, and community levels.”
“As reflected in NEMA’s records of flood incidence, Abia State has in the past been severely impacted by floods in terms of areal coverage, severe losses and damage, as well as fatalities. While sympathizing with the Government and good people of Abia State over the unprecedented adverse effects of flood risks in the past years, I wish to commend Your Excellency for all the measures put in place by the State Government to reduce the risk of these avoidable losses in the state.”
“For the 2024 rainy season, some Local Government Areas of Abia State are still predicted to be affected by flooding. These LGAs are under high and moderate flood risk areas and are already listed in the earlier NEMA communication to the Government of Abia State.
This underscores this flag-off in Abia State today. Accordingly, I call for support in this initiative of downscaling flood early warning and risk mitigation messages to the grassroots.
I find it necessary to stress that the management of disaster risk in contemporary times is everyone’s business. Let us cooperate and help our communities.”
Speaking while flagging off the sensitization, the state governor, Alex Otti, represented by the state Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, noted, “The predictions by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook and Seasonal Rainfall Prediction indicate that 11 out of the 17 Local Government Areas of our State will be affected by flooding.”
According to him, “These LGAs, which are under high and moderate flood risk areas, include Aba North, Aba South, Osisioma Ngwa, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, Ukwa West, Umuahia North, Umuahia South, and Umunneochi.
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The possibility exists that some Local Government Areas not listed here may also be affected by flooding, and that accounts for the reason for drawing participants from the seventeen Local Government Areas of Abia State.”
“It is usually said that prevention is better than cure. The essence of the sensitization exercise is to build citizens’ resilience and incorporate risk communication and engagement approaches to directly disseminate early warning messages for early actions at the State, Local Government, and Community levels that will mitigate the devastating impacts of flood incidents.”
“It is, indeed, high time we shifted our focus towards downscaling our flood early warning strategies to the grassroots level, as we cannot afford to rely solely on centralized systems that may not effectively reach those living in remote or vulnerable areas.
We must empower local communities with the knowledge and resources they need to take early actions and protect themselves from the destructive impacts of flooding.”
“It is therefore imperative that we synergize with local leaders, community organizations, and residents to develop early warning systems that are accessible, understandable, and actionable.
I therefore urge you all to take this flag-off sensitization exercise very seriously to enable you to assimilate requisite skills and disseminate the information to the grassroots.”
In his presentation titled “Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction Strategies on the Outcomes of the 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook,” the NEMA Assistant Director of General Services, Samuel Bitrus, disclosed that expectations from the LGAs are in the areas of creating emergency response teams, desilting gutters, and discouraging the indiscriminate dumping of waste in water channels, among others.
The expected outcomes of these precautions, he said, include saving lives and property, non-disruption of economic activities, safety of infrastructure, enhancing disaster-resilient communities, minimal cost in recovery, reduction in displacement, and promotion of environmental resilience, among others.
Speaking, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Sunday Jackson, disclosed that although the predictions for Abia will come by July 2024, over 20 communities in the state are already under flooding.
He commended the governor for all the actions already taken to mitigate the impact of flooding in the state, adding, “The magnitude of the flood in Abia is far beyond the capacity of the state.”
