Nasarawa State Community, located on the banks of the River Benue, has been advised to evacuate immediately.
This advice became pertinent following the prognosis from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, which predicts the imminence of high rainfall and flooding in the areas concerned.
This advisory to relocate was given by Benjamin Akwash, Director General, Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, NASEMA, in Lafia, on Wednesday.
Akwash, a lawyer, said the advisory followed the grim warning given by NiMET concerning the expected high volume of rainfall that will impact 19 states in the country, including Nasarawa.
The metrological agency said the present warning is a reiteration of a previous public enlightenment campaign. “We are reiterating what we told them during early warning sensitisation to evacuate from the flood risk areas. We are specifically appealing to riverine communities to evacuate,” he said. A release by the NimET indicates that Sokoto, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Benue, Ogun, Ondo, Lagos, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states stand a high chance of experiencing flood this season.
The NASEMA DG explained that his agency is sounding the alarm bells so as to forestall any unpleasant occurrences. “We can’t let our people gamble with their lives. If we had gone round to sensitise them on the early warning, and again we are receiving another warning on an impending flood in our State, then it behoves them to take it seriously.” He noted that said people in affected areas must prepare accordingly, as natural disasters neither give warnings nor give accurate timing of their occurrence.
He said his agency is making an effort to fix the speedboats and canoes in its care, to help with movement in the riverine areas. Safety kits, he said, will also be secured to help move residents in flood-prone areas to safer, higher ground. “Before I assumed office, the agency acquired some speedboats which were distributed to riverine communities in the four flood-prone local government areas. We are going to go round to inspect them to ascertain their condition. If they are not in good condition, we will we will hastily reactivate them in readiness for the alert so that by the time it happens, it will not take us unawares,” Akwash said.
(The News)
