As the rain intensifies across the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders have advised residents of flood-prone communities in the South East to embark on preventive measures for safety of lives and property in the zone.
The agency made the call while responding to a Tide source survey on Challenges of Flooding during rainfall.
The reports say that some states in the South East Zone of Nigeria experience perennial flooding during rainy seasons which threatens lives and the economy of the country, hence the survey.
Some of the stakeholders who spoke to the agency maintained that flood posed disaster risk, not only to prone areas but the nation’s economic development.
The Acting Head of NEMA, Imo/Abia Operations Office, Mr Ifeanyi Nnaji, advised affected communities to always monitor sea level in their areas.
He said the Disaster Risk Management Implication of the 2022 flood prediction by NEMA through the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) will soon be released to help prepare the society for emergency.
”The Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) give the organisation effective planning of weather-related disaster management in Nigeria,” he said.
Nnaji  further advised the public to desist from indiscriminate disposal of waste in or around water channels.
According to him, such habit hinders the free passage of rain water, hence causing the overflow of rain water beyond boundaries to damaging proportions.
Also, the Executive Secretary of Imo State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mrs Agnes Ajoku, expressed concern over the negative impact of flood on the society.
She said if not properly managed, flood effect could cause shortage of food, ecological disaster and even loss of lives and property.
“In 2018, Imo experienced one of the greatest flooding in the history of the state, which left many people homeless, while some lost their lives to the flood.
“Since flooding in most cases is a natural disaster, there is the need for both government and the people to take strict measures to prevent heavy effect of flooding.
“One of the ways is for citizens to stop the habit of blocking drainage system centrally built to checkmate flood with waste,” she said.
She also advised against building on water ways, adding that such structures built on the water ways are potential disaster.
A Director in the Ministry of Environment, Dr Clement Anyawu, said government should consider demolishing all buildings around water ways.
Anyawu said the ministry had studied Federal Government prediction for the 2022 flood outlook, adding that necessary actions had been taken to address the issue.
He appealed to residents in the flood prone communities to always adhere to early warning measures stipulated by relevant agencies.
In Abia, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said that 45 communities in 14 local government areas of the state were currently being ravaged by flooding.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Sunday Jackson, told Tide source that the state had already begun to experience high rainfall, in line with the 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
According to him the Annual Flood Outlook Prediction by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency also shows that Abia, was one of the highly probable flood risk states in the country.