Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara State Governments have embarked on awareness campaigns and reactivation of disaster response teams as part of strategies to curb the scourge of envisaged floods in their respective areas.
The states continue to intensify efforts, deluge had already began in some communities with flooding, windstorm and other associate disasters.
The sensitisation and response teams reactivation were parts of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of predictions by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on possible occurrence of disasters as a result of downpour.
NiMet had advised governments and residents to clear drainage channels, avoid walking or driving through floodwaters and relocation from high-risk areas to more safe areas.
READ ALSO:NRCS, IFRC Launches Flood Simulation Exercise in Nasarawa
Other safety tips include preparing emergency kits, switching-off electricity and gas during flooding, reinforcing mudslide-prone areas and raising community awareness.
The Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmad Aliyu on State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Aminu Liman-Bodinga, said the agency had collaborated with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective response system.
Liman-Bodinga said the institutions comprised the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Police, Federal and State Fire Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Red Cross among others.
He explained that high time prone local government areas were prioritised based on NiMet’s prediction and the state government had put proactive measures in place across the communities beside increased awareness.
The SA said government had stockpiled relief materials including foodstuffs, building materials, and household items at various warehouses to support affected residents in case of disasters.
Liman-Bodinga added that continuous sensitisation campaigns were ongoing via radio, television, marketplaces, community contacts and other outlets.
Mr Mustapha Umar, the SEMA Director, Relief and Rehabilitation in Sokoto, said no fewer that 1,400 households were affected by flood in Kware local government area, adding that the victims were supported by the agency.
Umar said SEMA ensured maximum collaboration with relevant stakeholders comprising state and non state actors on disaster mitigation strategies and prevention efforts.
In Zamfara, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Musa Kainuwa, said government ensured evacuation of refuse dumps and clearance of waterways as a measure to facilitate free flow of water on drainages to prevent flooding.
Kainuwa cautioned residents against dumping of refuse on drainages, waterways and erecting structures within flood prone areas and urged riverine communities to move to high and safe areas to avert casualties arising from eventual flooding.
He said the state government in collaboration with NEMA was conducting sensitisation of flood-prone communities in the state to adopt strategies that would minimise scourge of flooding.
Also speaking, the Director, Disaster, Zamfara Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), Mr Abdullahi Suleiman, said that several sensitisation programmes on disaster risk management were ongoing to safeguard lives and property.
The sensitisation, he noted, were meant to safeguard residents in such prone areas through building resilience and preparedness against such emergencies across the state.
“The report identified delayed onset of rains and earlier than normal cessation of rains as some of the disaster risk management implications.
“We have reached out to all residents of flood-prone communities in the state and urge them to be vigilant and proactive towards adopting flood containment strategies in their environment.
“For now, the state is yet to encounter flood in any community, so, we will continue with the proactive measures to prevent such occurrence,” he said.
He recalled that more than 4,000 houses were destroyed by flood in communities in Gummi and Talata Mafara local government areas and its environs as a result of major floods following heavy rains during the 2024 rainy season.
On his part, the Kebbi Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Empowerment, Alhaji Muhammad Hamidu-Jarkuka, said government ensured timely preparation on disaster response at all levels in the state.
“The present administration in the state is always committed to fulfilling its primary and constitutional mandate of protecting the lives and property of citizenry.
“We carry out enlightenment exercises, community contacts and provision of logistics as proactive approaches to disaster response in the state,” he said.