A total of 31 states and 148 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria are prone to flooding during this year’s rainy season, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has alerted.
Consequently, NEMA has called on state governments in flood-prone areas to support its initiative of providing early flood warnings and implementing strategies to minimize risks and protect lives and livelihoods.
NEMA stated that disseminating the 2024 early warning strategies and scaling them down will enhance preparedness, measures, and actions to mitigate the impact of floods.
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Speaking at a one-day sensitization meeting with the Edo State Government and other stakeholders in Benin, NEMA’s Director General, Zubaida Umar, stressed the importance of collaboration with the Edo State Government to establish mechanisms for flood disaster preparedness and risk reduction, aiming to prevent flood-related disasters.
Umar, who was represented by Daniel Obot, the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, stressed the urgency of the sensitization meeting in response to the 2024 flood alert issued by the National Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).
“Thirty-one states with 148 LGAs have been predicted to be within high flood risk areas, while 35 states, including the FCT, with 249 LGAs, are considered to fall within moderate flood risk areas.
“The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for low flood risk areas.
“These flood risk areas are presented with their degree of vulnerability to serve as a guide for government at all levels to develop risk reduction measures to avert disaster losses during this rainy season,” she noted.
