Rivers warns of heavy rains, floods

By George Onah

Port Harcourt – The Rivers State Government has said that the state will this year, witness rains that  are three times higher than that of last year and would elicit unprecedented flooding of certain parts of the state.

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari disclosed in Port Harcourt after the State Executive Council meeting, Wednesday, that the government “has taken a proactive measure to check the anticipated flood.”

Semenitari said part of the measure was the setting up of two committees to ensure effective flood control and emergency and relief management.

She said the council’s action was based on the meteorological report on Rivers State, which showed that in 2011, there would be three times the usual volume of rainfall that was experienced in this part of the country.

“This means that we are going to have heavy prospects of serious flooding in the state, therefore the Executive Council decided to take a proactive measure to ensure that we are able to mitigate this and prepare the state adequately for flooding,” she added.