BY AHMED AKANBI
The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mrs Zubaida Umar, has placed its zonal directorates and operations offices on standby following a high flood risk alert for 15 states.
The alert was issued by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) which forecast high risk of riverine flooding due to rising river levels.
The affected states are Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu and Abia.
Following the advisory, Mrs Umar directed NEMA offices covering the states to activate preparedness mechanisms, maintain close coordination with relevant authorities and response stakeholders, monitor vulnerable locations, and be ready to support response interventions.
She urged residents on floodplains, riverbanks, low-lying areas and other exposed locations to take the warning seriously and move to identified safe and higher ground before conditions become critical.
The director general said special attention should be given to vulnerable persons, including children, older persons, pregnant women and persons with disabilities, during evacuation.
Mrs Umar also called on state and local government authorities to activate their emergency preparedness mechanisms and pre-position essential relief materials at safe strategic locations on higher ground.
The materials, she said, should include food and non-food items, safe drinking water and water-treatment supplies, and first-aid and medical supplies.
