The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has issued warnings about potential major floods in specific Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State.
This announcement came during a workshop titled ‘Downscaling of flood early warning strategies for early actions’ held in Port Harcourt.
Godwin Tepikor, NEMA’s director in charge of risk reduction, emphasized the need for support from local government authorities to mitigate the anticipated impacts of the floods. Meanwhile, Babatunde Adebiyi, the Zonal director of NEMA, highlighted that 13 LGAs have been identified as high-risk areas, and efforts are underway to prepare them for the impending flood.
Among the high-risk LGAs mentioned are Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Degema, Ahoada East, and Ahoada West, among others. These areas are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to their geographical characteristics and historical trends.
Earlier, NEMA had also predicted moderate flooding in eight LGAs of Zamfara State for the 2024 rainy season. The Director-General for Zamfara, Zubaida Umar, identified Bugundu, Gummi, Gusau, Bakura, Maradun, Talata Mafara, Shinkafi, and Zurmi as the affected LGAs, urging collective efforts to protect communities, critical infrastructure, and socio-economic activities from flood-related disruptions.
In its 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) forecasted high flood risks in 31 states encompassing 148 LGAs, while 35 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were categorized under moderate flood risk with 249 LGAs. The remaining 377 LGAs were predicted to face low flood risk.
These warnings underscore the proactive measures needed to mitigate the impact of floods across Nigeria, emphasizing preparedness and community resilience in the face of natural disasters.
