Flooding: NEMA Lauds Anambra Govt

The National Emer
gency Management Agency (NEMA) has commended Anambra State Government for putting up a flood exigency plan to be driven by the newly constituted inter-ministerial and stakeholders committee.
The South-East Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Martins Udeinya, told newsmen in Enugu on Tuesday that the state government’s flood contingency plan should be emulated by states within the zone.
Udeinya said that the state government had earmarked three strategic camps in the upland area where flood victims could settle temporarily if flooding occurred.
He noted that the state government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), had already procured some camp materials and foodstuffs in anticipation of flooding.
“Anambra government has taken clear-cut steps to check the envisaged flooding if the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) predictions come to pass.
“The government has constituted a new inter-ministerial and stakeholders committee on flood response which has done flood and low land mappings in the state as well as started pre-flood arrangements.
“NEMA is quite impressed with Anambra and we expect that other states in the South-East will emulate their pro-activeness and responsive care toward its residents,’’ he said.
Udeinya said that NEMA in conjunction with Anambra SEMA carried out sensitisation in 14 communities within Ogbaru and Anambra West and Anambra East local government areas.
“SEMA did the groundwork of gathering the people of the various communities in their large numbers, including their traditional rulers and presidents-general.
“What we did was to give the NiMet and NIHSA warning message as well as attend to various questions raised by the various communities and their leaders,’’ he said.
Some communities in Ogbaru, Anambra East and Anambra West Local government Areas lie along the River Niger bank.