FEMA to assess flood-prone communities

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said it will assess flood risk communities, to prevent flooding in the territory ahead of the incoming rainy season, FarmingFarmersFarms reports. This was disclosed in a statement released by the Director-General of FEMA, Abbas Idriss, where he stated that the assessment of the infrastructural improvements made by the agency and other relevant stakeholders is aimed at mitigating the impact of flooding in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Idriss revealed that the 2023 Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency revealed that FCT and 178 local governments across the country were at risk of high flooding.

The Director-General added that the demolition of shanties in parts of the FCT was part of efforts to prevent flooding by opening the waterways to allow the free flow of water. “All hands are on deck to ensure that flood, even when it happens, will not be devastating. You will see that since the last rainy season, we are still working to remove shanties to open the blocked waterways, to allow free flow of water when the rain comes. Assessment and findings on the blockage of waterways with illegal structures helped in 2022, which is why we did not have any fatalities from flooding in the FCT. We are expecting the same this year and we are already working to mitigate the impact of floods”, he said. However, the FEMA boss urged residents to cooperate with actions of the agency towards preventing flooding. FarmingFarmersFarms had earlier reported that the Federal Government forecasted that 32 states, 178 local government areas (LGAs) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were likely to experience heavy flooding in 2023.