By Davies Iheamnachor

Flood in Lagos

The Zonal Coordinator, NEMA South-South zone, Mr Ibarakumo Walson, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, during a one disasters management meeting with key stakeholders and representatives from flood-prone areas in the state.

He noted that the essence of the meeting was to bring key stakeholders in disaster management together to chart way forward in handling the situation should it arise as predicted.

Walson said: “The essence of the meeting is to bring everybody together to build partnership and relationship so that the work will be easy when we are doing it.

In the prediction, we have high-risk areas, probable areas and less probable areas. Those communities that are highly probable, we are now going to those communities to know what they are doing in terms of preparedness, because emergency management starts at the community level.

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“We are now collaborating with them to do something. Most of these high-risk communities are not doing enough in terms of preparation.

“They have to do certain things before they expect the local government of the state of the federal government to come in, but they are not doing those bits. That is why we have to engage them to make sure that they are prepared.”

He stated that NEMA was fully prepared to ahead of the flooding, stating that it has identified high areas where displaced Peoples Camps would be built in the area affected areas.

“In Rivers State, 13 local government areas are probable in the risk. The three highly probable areas are Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada West, Abua/Odua LGAs.

“There are indications that this year’s flood may be worst compared to that of 2012. This is the reason we want communities to be involved in the planning.

“We are fully prepared for the incident we have started sensitization and identification of higher grounds in communities where camps can be built for the displaced persons,” Walson added.

Vanguard