NEMA advises farmers to relocate in order to avoid losses.

By Adeleye Kunle

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised residents, particularly farmers, in flood-prone areas of Anambra State to relocate to higher ground.

Thickman Taminu, who gave the advice yesterday in Awka, said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET) prediction on flooding was still valid, and that the danger of flooding in the state had not been completely eliminated.

Farmers, he said, should harvest on time to avoid loss of life and product destruction.

Taminu stated that there were two types of flooding that occurred each year, noting that while the current one was caused by heavy rain, the one caused by rivers overflowing and running into the ocean was looming.

“What we are experiencing now is flood that comes from rain and disappears almost immediately, but the flood that comes from river and dam overflow is still coming as predicted by NIMET,” he said.

“So, we advise people to consider early harvest and relocation to higher land to minimise losses.”

Taminu, on the other hand, stated that the Federal Government, through NEMA, had not received an invitation from the Anambra government to come and assess the situation or intervene in flood-related issues.

He stated that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was the state’s lead response agency and that NEMA would respond whenever it was invited to assess the flood situation.

He stated that timely recognition was required in order for NEMA to take proactive measures that would result in early intervention.