THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has decried the high level of the flood disaster in the South-East zone, warning that the people of the region should imbibe precautionary measures to stem the tide.
Walson Brandon, Assistant Director of NEMA, South-East zonal office Enugu, who raised the alarm further urged victims to reach the NEMA officials for help in case they are affected by the natural disaster.
Brandon who spoke to reporters in Enugu on Monday said some of the flood risk areas in the South-East are Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra State.
He said the warning arose from annual flood outlook from the National Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the National Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA).
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“From the annual flood outlook, the risk areas in Enugu are Enugu South, Enugu-East and Oji River LGAs. Ebonyi includes Afikpo North, Ezea South, Ohaukwu and Ebonyi LGAs. Anambra includes Orumba North, Orumba South, Anaocha, Oyi, dunukofia and Njikoka LGAs.
“I urge the people in the affected areas not to fall back. They should not wait for government. For the state and local governments, they should be on alert and contact appropriate federal agencies in case of any flooding incident” Brandon said.
He urged people in the affected areas to immediately contact NEMA through emergency line 07084561972 if the need arises.
On the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the zone, Brandon said NEMA cannot do it alone and was reaching out to the local governments to sensitize them on camp management, particularly how to put together and manage IDPs.
He said the mandate of NEMA includes disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
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