The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued an urgent advisory on Thursday, cautioning residents in flood-prone areas across 27 Nigerian states to commence immediate relocation.
NEMA reported substantial damage to 32,837 residential
structures and 16,488 hectares of agricultural land due to the floods.
Manzo Ezekiel, the official spokesperson for NEMA,
disseminated this information through a formal statement released in Abuja.
Furthermore, NEMA announced the mobilization of search and
rescue teams in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs)
to distribute essential relief supplies to affected individuals.
“27 states in Nigeria have been impacted by recent floods,
affecting 227,494 individuals and damaging 32,837 houses and 16,488 hectares of
farmland.
“NEMA is conducting assessments and deploying relief items
to support affected communities,” it says.
NEMA’s Director General, Zubaida Umar, emphasized the urgent
need for communities in flood-prone areas to relocate to higher ground as the
rainy season advances.
Umar also called for enhanced public education on proper
waste management practices to mitigate the risk of future flooding.
“The agency emphasises the importance of public awareness on
waste management to prevent flooding and advises at-risk communities to
relocate to safer areas.”
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, provided
reassurances to farmers regarding the temporary dry season, emphasizing its
transient nature.
Community leaders and stakeholders were advised to promptly
implement effective measures to mitigate the current flood risks.