The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has launched the 2025 flood preparedness and response campaign in Edo State to address the risks and related hazards associated with flooding.
The campaign aimed to mitigate the impact of flooding on communities and promote a proactive approach to disaster management.
NEMA Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, represented by Mr. Kenoma Ojuedere, Head of Benin Operations, highlighted the devastating effects of flooding on families and communities.
“Many Nigerians have suffered injuries and lost life savings due to unmitigated flood incidents and associated secondary hazards annually,” she said.
Umar emphasised the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of flood containment plans.
She cited the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook, providing insights into rainfall patterns and flood scenarios.
“As part of our early warning system, we have identified disaster risk management implications and mitigation strategies for communication to communities at risk during the rainy season,” she added.
NEMA has developed disaster mitigation strategies, including capacity building for local responders, simulation exercises, rainwater harvesting, and adherence to predicted rainfall onset before planting.
Other strategies involve irrigation as an alternative water source for agriculture, livestock vaccination, effective contingency prepositioning of basic family needs, and risk transfer where necessary.
Umar urged residents of flood-prone communities to take proactive measures, including clearing drainages, avoiding dumping refuse on natural waterways, developing evacuation plans, and strengthening community-based information sharing and safety surveillance.
“Beyond the stakeholders’ engagement, NEMA teams would visit communities at risk of floods to disseminate early warning messages with the support of SEMAs and volunteers,” she said.
The Executive Secretary of Edo State Emergency Management Agency (EdoSEMA), Mr Jerry Idahosa, thanked NEMA for choosing Edo as a focal point for the second phase of the nationwide campaign.
He appreciated NEMA’s commitment to a resilient, proactive, and people-centered disaster management framework.
