FCTA develops hazard mappings to mitigate effects of disaster

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), says it has developed what it called hazard mappings and carried out vulnerability and capacity assessment of the entire FCT to mitigate the effect of disasters in the territory.

Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Dr. Abbas Idriss, disclosed this when he received in his office, executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, led by its chairman, Emmanuel Ogbeche.

Idriss explained that hazard mapping enables the agency to know which hazard is associated with which area in the FCT and also enables the agency to handle any disaster case as it comes without any problem.

He added that the agency has also carried out vulnerability and capacity assessment of the entire FCT, to know if there will be a flood and how vulnerable such a flood is going to be at any point in time.

“It might interest you to know that over these years, we have developed what we called hazard mapping of the entire FCT. By this, we are able to know which hazard is associated with which area n the FCT and by so doing, we can handle any disaster case as it comes without any problem.

 We have also carried out vulnerability and capacity assessment of the entire FCT. We have to do that to determine if there will be flood and how vulnerable the flood is going to be at any point in time. We can also estimate the number of people that can be affected by the flood and know how many people we can rescue or evacuate at any point in time”, he explained.

The Director-General added that the agency came up with these measures because it wants to be seen as an agency that can prevent and mitigate disasters and not an agency that distributes relief materials to victims of disasters.

He, therefore, called on the NUJ to assist the agency in educating residents so that they can adhere and respect the early warning signals, especially avoiding driving into floods.

Speaking earlier, Chairman of NUJ, FCT council, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche, had appealed to the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, to consider appropriate funding for FEMA, because of the enormous tasks and responsibilities of the agency, especially advocacy, rehabilitation and assistance to those affected by one form of disaster or the other.

Ogbeche commended the Director-General of FEMA for setting the pace in disaster and post-disaster management in the FCT and for his service to the administration and residents of the territory.

He continued: “Let me also commend you for your impressive undertakings in the committee that looked into the violent clashes, occasioned by the EndSARS protests in the FCT.

For the fact that you worked within the time frame and came up with a painstaking report, speaks  of your commitment, dedication and unalloyed commitment to, not just peace and stability in the FCT, but it also demonstrates your passion for this country.”

Nnenna.O