NEMA: 259 dead, 625,239 Nigerians displaced by floods

A flooded street in Maiduguri

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says 625,239 Nigerians have been displaced and 259 lives lost to flooding in the country between April and September 2024.

The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, disclosed this at the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) in Abuja on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

Umar stated that 1,048,312 people were affected by the disaster.

She commiserated with those affected and assured them that the federal government, through NEMA, would provide necessary support.

She said the main reason for convening the meeting was to receive updates on the flood situation and assign roles and responsibilities to stakeholders.

Umar noted that although flooding could not be totally prevented, efforts were being made to mitigate its impact.

According to the NEMA boss, 29 states and 172 local government areas have been impacted by flooding, affecting 1,048,312 people, displacing 625,239, and resulting in 259 deaths. She emphasised the need for a coordinated response to the disaster.

Umar said: “NEMA has activated Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in some states and deployed additional staff to support search and rescue operations.

Maiduguri Flood: Displaced residents returning home as water recedes

“The agency has also provided water purification equipment and critical search and rescue tools to affected states.”

Umar commended the support of international partners and urged them to continue providing assistance while monitoring the situation.

She noted that the situation was not yet overwhelming for the Nigerian government to cope with.

The Assistant Director of Search and Rescue, Wagami Madu, presented an update on the flood, reporting seven deaths in Borno State as of Saturday.

Madu also mentioned challenges in Maiduguri, including inadequate serving materials and wash facilities due to the high number of people in the camp.

On her part, the Assistant Director of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Emmanuela Offiong, stressed the need for proper fact-checking and communication on disaster management to avoid disinformation and misinformation.

The Star