By CHARLES IWUOHA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Thursday, tasked flood prone communities within council areas in Enugu State on building flood prevention and resilience action plans.

The Acting Zonal Coordinator of NEMA South-East, Mrs Ngozi Echeazu, gave the task during a sensitization on Proper Waste Management and Flood

Preparedness in Eha-Amufu community within Isi-Uzo LGA of Enugu State.

The sensitization, which would be carried out in flood prone communities within three council areas in Enugu State, was organized by NEMA in collaboration with Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Echeazu advised community leaders and community disaster stakeholders to put together a local disaster management team as well as plan using both structural/non structural measures to mitigate flood disaster.

According to her, the communities and stakeholders should formulate a local disaster mitigation team and plan that will take care of various health challenges that are associated with flooding and improper waste disposal.

She said: “As part of the flood prevention and resilient action plan is the transfer of agricultural and livelihood risk and possible losses through the use of insurance companies.

“There is a need for dumpsters and designated locations for refuse dumps in communities in order to ensure that drainage are not blocked by refuse and silt created by indiscriminate refuse dump.

“You should also have a designated flood safe place for Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) temporal settlement within the local response plan to be carried out with the Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs).”

She noted that building the resilience of communities to flood disasters had become imperative following the 2024 Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) predictions.

“This sensitisation is in line with the NEMA’s mandate to reach out and build capacities of LGAs/communities that are prone to flood disaster in the South-East especially in Enugu State.

“For Enugu State, the Agency is targeting its sensitization within communities in three LGAs, which are Isi-Uzo, Awgu and Enugu South LGAs from today to the weekend,” the zonal coordinator said.

Speaking, the Executive Secretary of SEMA Enugu State, Mrs Chinasa Mbah, appreciated NEMA for the sensitisation on proactive actions to be taken to mitigate the impact of flooding and also assisting the state to sort its emergency and response issues always.

Responding, Igwe Samuel Ogbodo, the Traditional Ruler of Eha-Egu autonomous community within Eha-Amufu area, assured that the people would abide by all instructions and warnings issued by NEMA and take proactive and concrete actions on mitigating impact of flooding.

Hon Gabriel Eze, member representing Isi-Uzo State Constituency, commended the joint efforts of Federal, State and Local Governments in supporting proactive measures meant to mitigate disaster as well as disaster management by NEMA and SEMA.

Eze revealed that the gaps observed in the activities of LEMCs within the 17 council areas of the state, including Isi-Uzo LGA, would in no distance time be resolved by the Enugu State House of Assembly.

The event also featured a key presentation on “Flood Preparedness and Proper Waste Management”, which was delivered by a senior official of NEMA, Mr Ezeani Nnanyelugo, in Igbo language.

The highlights of the event were an interactive session, distribution of flyers on Proper Waste Management/Flood Preparedness tips in both English and Igbo language as well as sharing of emergency numbers of relevant stakeholders to participants.

The sensitization was attended by state/LGA functionaries, traditional rulers, community leaders/members including religion leaders, traders, farmers, okada riders/drivers, artisans and other relevant stakeholders such as Nigeria Police, Red Cross, NYSC members, Forest Guards among others.

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