The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday said it was prepared to tackle the floods predicted by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for the South-South.
The NEMA South-South Zonal Coordinator, Mr James Eze, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the agency had set up structures to avert disaster in the event of flooding in the area.
“The unusual flooding of 2012 taught us a lesson.
“As it is our practice, we began flood sensitisation campaigns in March and we are partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who is our emergency management vanguard for the campaign.
“We ensure that the public will know the practices that will prevent flooding in the markets, schools, offices and other places.
“During the dry season, we encourage the local and state governments to pay attention to waste management and other habits that can cause blocked drains thereby resulting in floods,’’ he said.
In partnership with the state government, Eze said the agency had set up designated points that the public could go to in the event of a flood.
“The designated points can be accessed in less than six hours.
“We are quite prepared for any eventuality and the higher grounds are ready for possible displaced people in case there is flooding,” the NEMA official said.
He said disaster intervention would start with the state government, and the Federal Government would assist if the incident could not be managed by the state alone.
“We are monitoring the level of the rivers in Lokoja and other parts of the country.
“When the water level becomes dangerous we would ask all the residents in those areas to relocate. (NAN)