The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced the deployment of technical personnel and critical equipment to imminent flood flash locations across the country.
The development followed hints by the agency on Tuesday, of an imminent flood disaster in Makurdi, Benue State, Lokoja, Kogi State, and Yola, Adamawa State.
In a statement, shared via its X (formerly Twitter) platform, NEMA alerted the aforementioned of highly probable flood disasters in communities at risk, particularly those close to the rivers.
The situation has prompted the agency to activate its “operation offices, deployed technical staff and prepositioned critical equipment for timely response search and rescue as well as evacuation to safer higher grounds.”
NEMA, in its release, referred to the latest report by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), revealing the commencement of an intermittent release of excess water from Lagdo Dam, by the Cameroonian authorities.
A week ago, the NIHSA announced that the dam’s management had begun the regulated water releases at the rate of 100m/s (8,640,000m’/day), and the release is expected to increase gradually to 1000m% in the next seven days.
The NIHSA noted that the depth of the release is dependent on the inflow from the upstream Garoua River which is the main feeder into the reservoir and a major contributor to the Benue River.
“However, the dam managers further stated that the planned water releases will be gradual so as not to exceed the conveyance capacity of the Benue river system and cause major flooding downstream Nigeria.
“The spilling of waters from Lagdo dam is expected to stop as soon as there is a noticeable decrease in flow into the Lagdo reservoir,” the NIHSA said.
However, NEMA noted that precisely a week after the intermittent release of the Lagdo dam, also with the high rainfalls in Nigeria, there have been rising water levels in Rivers Benue and Niger.
The agency’s statement read partly: “The observed water level as of Monday 23rd September 2024, in River Benue at Yola has reached the highest warning point at 8.7 metres, while the level in Makurdi has entered the red alert at 9.63 metres.
“The situation in Lokoja was also observed to be alarming as the level has reached 8.89 metres with flooding already recorded upstream in Kebbi State.
“Reports from NEMA Minna Operations office have indicated the onset of flood disaster along riparian communities in Niger State with human displacement and damage to infrastructure. Damage and loss assessment is already ongoing.
“The frontline states identified to be at risk of the flooding are Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Kwara.
“With the activation and deployment, NEMA operation offices and technical officers will work with the relevant State Ministries, Departments and Agencies in order to establish Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) for coordination and activation of local actors for the emergency response.
These will include advocacies to communities at risk, evacuation planning, identification of high safe ground for temporary shelters and prepositioning of equipment for evacuation and rescue.
“Sector leads have also been alerted to provide priority needs to the impacted persons in the event of displacement of persons to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and other safer locations.
“Furthermore, NEMA is coordinating with the Military, Nigeria Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC) to deploy their Disaster Response personnel, Police Marine and Disaster Management Units operatives respectively where necessary and the Nigerian Red Cross Society to also activate volunteers.
“The Director General NEMA advises residents in flood-prone areas, especially communities along Rivers Benue and Niger to remain vigilant and cooperate with emergency service providers as the Agency continues to monitor the situation closely.”
NEMA Deploys Personnel, Equipment To Makurdi, Lokoja, Yola Over Floods is first published on The Whistler Newspaper