The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says death records emanating from disasters in the territory have reduced drastically from 2014 to date, due to sustained public enlightenment by the agency.
The Acting Director, of Forecasting Response Mitigation of FEMA, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, disclosed during a road walk show to sensitise FCT residents on the importance of disaster risk reduction, on Thursday in Abuja.
Wenegieme emphasised the need for the three tiers of government to create more awareness and empower emergency management bodies to carry out adequate sensitisation campaigns on the risk factors associated with disaster.
According to her, ” Because of the aggressive sensitisation, the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had been carried out in the territory, if you look at the statistics starting from 2014 to date the number of death record has drastically reduced in FCT”
“And this year in particular we didn’t record any death and it is because of the aggressive sensitisation the agency conducted from the grassroots to the Federal Capital City city”.
” We have used the Town criers, Local divers, volunteers, vanguards, religious leaders, Head of Communities, Women Leaders, and all that”.
” And this year we have decided to include People with Disabilities and that is why we call it disability inclusiveness in disaster risk reduction. People that have different disabilities we are carrying them along.”
She explained that October 13 of every year is been set aside by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction which is celebrated all over the world.
” In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) we started the programme three days ago with various programmes on Radio and Television stations”.
” We also make sure that our jingles were in all the stations that will get to the grassroots because we always feel that the most vulnerable are people at the grassroots”.
” When we talk about the disaster we are talking about disasters of every kind. We are not just talking about flooding but other types of disasters can like an epidemic, fire incidence, building collapse, earth tremor another hazard card that people experience within their community”, she added.
She, therefore, enjoined the FCT residents to identify the common hazard within their environment which may lead to disaster and how they could be prevented.
” If you cannot prevent or avoid it. The one that can be avoided we plead with all the residents of FCT to see how they can avert it because it can be prevented”.
” And that is the one we call avoidable disaster or human-induced disaster.
” The natural ones if you are aware when they come within your environment you think of how to mitigate it and that is why we are creating this awareness to save lives and properties.
“And if we cannot completely save lives we reduce the impact and that is why this day is very important in the whole world”, She further explained.
Also, Mr Innocent Alobu, Community Based Inclusive Disability Program Officer, Christian Blind Mission, an NGO, said the organisation keyed into the disaster risk reduction programme because of the need to include Persons with Disability in disaster response preparedness.
Samuel Isaiah
