NEMA to states: Be prepared for flood disaster

The National Emergency Management Agency has in line with the predictions of floods by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency called on states to be ready and prepared against flood disaster as the raining season begins.
The Coordinator of Niger and Kwara States Zone of NEMA, Lugard Bijimi, gave this advise on Thursday while distributing relief materials to 34 fire victim families in Minna, Niger state.
Bijimi that the people living along the flood plane of River Kaduna and River Niger should be prepared in order not to be caught unaware by flood disaster.
He said: “People living in riverine areas must be vigilant, especially those living in the lower areas of the three hydro dams in Niger State should be prepared against flood disaster as the raining season sets in, taking into consideration this year’s prediction by the NIMET.
“Niger State is prone to flood not only because of rains but also because of the dams that could open their water run ways with devastating effect on residents in the lower areas of the dams.”
Bijimi explained that the Agency will soon organise a stakeholders forum in conjunction with NIMET and the media.
It is aimed at adequate sensitisation of the people of the state on how to heed NIMET’s prediction and avoid disasters in the flood prone areas of the state
He however decried the rampant cases of fire incidents in the state, adding that the 34 families being compensated by the Federal Government were those whose houses were burnt in the last three to four months in the state.
The NEMA coordinator explained that the Agency had accessed the properties lost in the fire incidents before coming up with the list of beneficiaries, adding that the relief materials were meant to bring succour to the victims and not as full compensation.
He urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the materials.
He said government will not tolerate the sale of the relief materials by them in the open market.
Some of the relief materials were 100 bundles of roofing sheets, 60 bags of nails, 150 pieces of wax print wrappers, food items and blackest.