Flooding: NEMA warns 14 states to suffer severe flooding this week

Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned that 31 communities in 14 states may witness heavy rainfall that could lead to flooding from 4th – 8th July.

NEMA disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Territorial Coordinator, NEMA, Lagos Territorial Office.

The states to be affected include Plateau, Kano, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Niger State, and others.

Flooding

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye noted in the statement that 14 states and 31 communities may witness heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding from July 4 – 8 across the country, adding:

• “Stakeholders within the states concerned to take precautionary measures to forestall loss of lives and property.
• “The states and communities as Plateau: Langtang and Shendam; Kano State: Sumaila, Tudun Wada; Sokoto State: Shagari, Goronyo, and Silame; Delta: Okwe.
• “Others include Kaduna State: Kachia; Akwa Ibom: Upenekang; Adamawa: Mubi, Demsa, Song, Mayo-Belwa, Jimeta, and Yola; Katsina State: Katsina, Jibia, Kaita, and Bindawa.
• “Kebbi State: Wara, Yelwa and Gwandu; Zamfara: Shinkafi and Gummi
• “Borno: Briyel; Jigawa: Gwaram; Kwara: Jebba; Niger: Mashegu and Kontagora are also included.”

NEMA also revealed the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) Central Hub of the Federal Ministry of Environment Abuja shared the information with the FG.

Prior warning

Recall that Nairametrics reported in March that the Nigerian Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), warned Nigerians to expect severe flooding in 2023.

The Director General of NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, added there had been seasonal climate predictions and annual flood outlooks by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), adding that the flood disaster in 2022 was a learning experience, and NEMA would also spread early warning messages to states and Local Government Areas (LGAs) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

• “We have started early this year, as we are ready for early warning and early action. We will bombard every citizen, state, and local government with this information as we want them to know that it is serious. We will not keep quiet. We want them to know that there will be flooding this year,’’ he said.

Damages in 2022

At the 2023 budget defence session with the Senate Committee on FERMA last November. FERMA revealed that it evaluated damages done on the affected roads across the states and requested the sum of N100 billion as its intervention fund to repair roads damaged by 2022 nationwide.