The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has urged residents of flood-prone communities across Nigeria to relocate to safer areas and heed early warning alerts as the rainy season intensifies nationwide.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, warned that the current period of heavy rainfall requires vulnerable communities to take proactive measures to safeguard lives and property.
She called for the activation of community-level flood mitigation measures and advised residents to move to higher ground whenever there is a risk of flooding.
Umar also cautioned the public against driving or walking through floodwaters, while urging citizens to avoid dumping refuse into drainage channels and to promptly report emergencies to the appropriate authorities for swift intervention.
According to the NEMA boss, preparedness and early evacuation remain the most effective ways to prevent loss of lives and reduce the impact of flooding during the peak of the rainy season.
She disclosed that the agency’s zonal directors and heads of operations have been directed to intensify flood awareness campaigns, strengthen collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies, local emergency committees, traditional institutions, and other stakeholders, while coordinating timely search and rescue operations where necessary.
The advisory follows recent warnings by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which identified 14 states at risk of medium flooding between July 14 and July 20, as well as an earlier flood alert issued by the Federal Ministry of Environment for 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
