Yemi Obafemi
The current flooding trend in Nigeria indicates a significant impact, with 29 states and 172 local government areas affected, resulting in 259 deaths, 625,239 displacements, and over a million people affected.
The Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar revealed this on Thursday at the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) meeting.
The meeting aimed to reassess strategies and redistribute tasks in response to the evolving landscape of disaster management across the country, including the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts in Borno State.
Umar noted that, apart from the exceptional severity of the Borno State flood due to the Alau Dam spillway failure, the current trend largely follows the predictions outlined in NIHSA’s 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, which flagged 33 states and 135 LGAs as high-risk areas for flooding between July and September.
“For the period between October and November 19, states and 44 LGAs have been indicated.
The NEMA DG praised Governor Babagana Zulum, the Borno State government, and the State Emergency Management for their swift response to the Maiduguri flood, effectively coordinating rescue efforts and establishing IDP camps to support affected individuals.
“Our ongoing intervention across the affected states include deployment of additional personnel to support Search and Rescue operations; distribution of water purification and critical search and Rescue equipment; provision of food and non-food items to support the affected persons and the rehabilitation of displaced populations.
“Through our agency, NEMA, the Federal Government commiserates with those that have been affected by the flood disaster and assures them that necessary succour will sustainably be provided.
“We appreciate the support of our humanitarian partners and look forward to the sustained collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to ameliorate the suffering of affected people and also mitigate the impact of the flooding incidents across the country,” Umar said.
