Bayelsa State Government has indicated its readiness to
collaborate with the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to tackle
flooding and its attendant consequences in the state.

Governor Seriake Dickson gave the indication when the
Presidential Committee on the Assessment of Flood Disaster Affected Areas
visited him at Government House, Yenagoa, recently.

Describing the current flood disaster as tragic, Dickson
listed Bayelsa as one of the most affected states in the country due to its
vulnerable environment.

He said the flood has wreaked further damage to the already
fragile ecology of the state, stressing that farmlands and other valuable
property had been destroyed with so many people rendered homeless.

According to him, most people have been forced to take
refuge in Yenagoa, the state capital, pointing out that the situation would
have been worse if his administration had not taken proactive steps to clear
and construct drainages in the Yenagoa metropolis.

The Governor, who expressed fear over imminent famine in the
country, stressed the need for all tiers of government and relevant bodies to
collaborate effectively with the aim of mitigating the effects of flooding,
particularly acute shortage of food.

On the part of the state government, he said that a special
committee had been set up to provide immediate relief to affected communities,
adding that his visit to some of the affected communities in four local
government areas of the State revealed that the committee was working as it was
seen distributing relief materials.

He thanked President Goodluck Jonathan and the committee for
the proactive measures taken so far and urged the committee and other relevant
authorities to redouble their efforts at cushioning the effects of the flood
disaster.

Earlier in her remarks, Chairman of the Presidential
Committee on the Assessment of Flood Disaster Affected Areas and Minister of
Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, explained that the visit was to assess the
extent of flooding in the state.

The Minister said the inter-ministerial committee was set up
consequent upon the rains and flooding experienced across the country with the
mandate to proffer immediate, medium and long-term solutions to the menace.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir
Yuguda and his Water Resources counterpart, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, commiserated
with the government and people of the state over the flooding incident.

The ministers called on the state government to partner with
other relevant authorities to enlighten its people on the need to observe
sanitation and development control rules and regulations.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammed Sani Sidi, stated that the
agency promptly responded to the distress call about the flooding situation in
the state and have started distributing relief materials to affected
communities.