Flood alert: NEMA advises these communities to evacuate

– The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised residents of some communities along the River Niger to evacuate immediately over possible flooding

– The agency said a directive for evacuation was given by the director general Muhammad Sidi after alerts of possible flooding in these areas were received from authorities of Niger Republic

A car being ‘swallowed’ by the flood on the street Photo: O. Emmanuel

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised residents of some communities along the River Niger to evacuate immediately over possible flooding.

NEMA said the intense rainfall and rises in the water level has warranted a need for the communities to be evacuated.

In a statement signed by Sani Datti, the information officer of NEMA, the flooding may occur any moment from now.

Datti said the directive for an evacuation was given by the director general of the agency Muhammad Sidi after alerts of possible flooding in these areas were received from authorities of Niger Republic.

Datti said these officials said the present water level in the river has reached a point that may result in the flood that could be compared with the unfortunate experience of 2012.

“Niger Basin Authority (NBA) notified Nigeria that rainy season, which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June, 2016, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic. This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria,” the statement said.

He also said that the level of water in all the hydrological monitoring stations across the country, as at Friday, August 5, have exceeded the corresponding value at the time.

Datti said this is an alarming situation that requires the prompt and coordinated response from of all governments and stakeholders.

“If the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of the year 2012 may occur,” the statement added.

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He also said that director general of the agency has urged all stakeholders to take necessary actions in line with their various mandates.

“The states and local government are to ensure observance with the threat in order to avert imminent loss of lives and properties that might certainly arise in the event of flood,” Datti said.

The states most vulnerable to this flooding include all states along the Niger belts and those along the major tributaries of the River including Benue river belts , the confluence states and downstream to the Atlantic Coast.

He further said that agencies and operation offices have been directed to continue public enlightenment and advocacy visits to these states while the state government are also advised to utilize the flood vulnerability maps already given to them earlier by NEMA.

These maps the agency said will help identify safer ground for temporary shelters in time of evacuation as well as reviewing all their contingency plans.

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