Flood: Edo Govt, NEMA, urge residents to relocate to higher grounds

The National Emergency Management Agency has appealed to Edo State residents living on the bank of the River Niger to relocate to higher ground.

The agency in collaboration with the Edo State Emergency Management Agency also urged residents living in other flood-prone areas to relocate to safer locations to avoid disaster.

NEMA Head of  Operations, Benin Office, Dahiru Yusuf, made the call on Monday in Benin, at a stakeholders meeting organised by the agency in collaboration with Edo State SEMA.

Yusuf said the event was to ascertain the level of preparedness of all stakeholders in flood-prone local government areas, as well as to ensure better response compared with 2022.

He said, “We advise the people to relocate from the flood areas because when it comes it would be devastating.

“But, we are finding it difficult to get them to move. Lots of them don’t want to go to the camp.

“They don’t want to leave their ancestral homes to a safer place where the government would provide necessary facilities pending when the flood recedes”.

“They should ensure that drainages are cleared and not blocked and adhere to the building plan because we have discovered some of the floods, especially not in the river bank, is as a result of one construction or the other.”

Yusuf said that the agency was working to ensure that the state IDP camps were in good shape, fumigated and equipped with the necessary amenities to ensure that it was habitable for victims in cases of flood.

He, however, said the agency had already commenced sensitizing the local emergency committee on what to do to mitigate the effect of flood.

Earlier, the head, Edo State Emergency Management Agency, Helen Obayuwana, said the state government was worried as NIMET prediction had added three additional local government areas prone to flood in the state.

“We must recognize that flood prevention is key and by investing in robust infrastructure, early warning systems, and land-use planning, we can significantly reduce the vulnerability of our communities to floods,”.

She noted that adequate drainage systems and well-maintained canals could help channel water safely and prevent catastrophic flooding.

Obayuwana pointed out that flood preparedness, mitigation and response were not the sole responsibility of governments and emergency response services and charged individuals and communities to take steps to safeguard their homes.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigeria Army, Air Force, Police, FRSC, NSCDC, Red Cross, Edo SEMA and representatives of flood-prone local government areas.

(NAN)