Flood: Heed early warnings, NEMA urges communities

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged communities to heed to early warnings to reduce impacts of flood in Nigeria.

Director- General of the agency, Zubaida Umar, made the call in Dutse while handing over 155,020 litres of liquid fertiliser to Jigawa State government.

Umar, represented by Director of Administration and Finance, Sani Ahmed, said the call was imperative in order to reduce the impact of flood on communities and properties.

“The most important thing is if advice is given to the communities that there will be flooding, please take that advice seriously.

“If you are asked to relocate please do so. It is for your life and properties’ safety,” Umar said.

She pointed out that it was the responsibility of communities to first intervene whenever disaster occurs, hence the need to heed early warnings by authorities.

“As we have been saying in NEMA, disaster occurs in a community, in a local government and in a state. So, it is the responsibility of that community first to intervene.

“How do they intervene; we give them early warnings, the seasonal predictions, including areas that will be affected by the flood,” she said.

According to her, 155,020 litres of liquid fertilisers were supplied as replacement of balance of NPK fertilisers.

“The fertiliser was approved for the state under the National Food Security Council-Emergency Agricultural Intervention (NFSC-EAI) to farmers affected by 2018 flood in the state,” the Diretor-General said.

Responding, the state governor, Namadi commended the agency for the gesture, assuring that the items will be distributed to deserving farmers.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Aminu Usman, added that the fertiliser will be handed over to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for onward distribution to the beneficiaries.

He also urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the fertilisers in order to enhance food production and food security in their communities, state and the nation in general.

In his remarks, SEMA’s Executive Secretary in the state, Dr Haruna Mairiga, promised that the items will be fairly distributed to the beneficiaries.

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