From Alhasan Abdullahi Abuja.

The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has held its second review and preparedness meeting with Divers, Vanguards and Rescue team in Abuja recently to review their level of preparedness for flood disasters and other emergencies in the FCT.

Declaring the 2-day meeting open,  the Director, Alh. Abbas Idriss said FEMA will continue to strategize in its bid to prevent the reoccurrence of disasters of any kind in the FCT.

The FEMA Boss who was represented at the meeting by Mrs. Florence Wenegiemie, Deputy Director, Forecasting, Response, and mitigation (FRM) gave this assurance while tasking the Divers, Vanguards and Response team to be more proactive in this raining season. This follows NIMET’S 2020 prediction of torrential rainfall and floodings in parts of the country including the FCT which has already claimed many lives and properties including Giri and Gwagwalada in the FCT.

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The FEMA boss said that the meeting was imperative at this time to alert the Volunteers on the dangers of the season and to sensitize them on prevention, response, and mitigation measures. He also advised them to be adequately prepared Ed and be charged them with the responsibility of sensitizing their people especially as we approach the peak of this rainy season. She also reminded them of the need to remind their people that COVID 19 is real and still with us, hence, the need to maintain personal hygiene and take voluntary responsibility of their lives by adhering to COVID 19 instructions.

He alerted them of a possible flash flood in their communities if necessary preventive measures are not put in place to avert it, she urged all hands to be on deck to avert any more loss of lives to flooding in the FCT.

The Director-General commended them for promptly swinging into action whenever there is an emergency in their localities before the arrival of FEMA response team, he then charged them as FEMA trained ambassadors to take the alert message home using their village town criers, Youths, and women groups as means of communication, noting that in previous years, FEMA embarked on annual community-to-community flood sensitization campaign in different Area Councils.

He said FEMA is now challenged with COVID 19 protocols that don’t allow large gatherings, but that FEMA has embarked on a wide media sensitization in different indigenous languages in different media channels.

He appealed to residents most especially those in the rural areas to always adhere to Government instructions so as not to fall victims of disasters and also to desist from unwholesome activities that could lead to disasters in the FCT. He advised residents to stop dumping refuse in waterways, do not build along flood plains, do not farm around river banks, do not drive or walk on flooded water and those that have houses around the river banks should move to higher grounds” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Miss Zhazim Josephine from Kwali Area Council (one of the volunteers) said she was motivated to enroll as a community Vanguard because of her interest to save lives “if people don’t come out to help the society, lives, and properties will continue to be lost and you can’t predict who will be next victim, thus the need volunteer” she said.

On what to take away from the meeting, Mr. Fwankat Isa Linus, a diver from Bwari Area Council said; “I have been empowered with the knowledge of preventing and mitigating flood disaster in my locality. “From here, I will go back and sensitize my people and neighboring villages on the alert of flooding this rainy season and how to prevent it because FEMA cannot do it alone “. He said

Earlier in the meeting, Mrs. Wenegiemie appealed to them to always report any case of the dead body around the waterways, according to her, “if someone is drowning in the flooded water, the water carries the dead body through the water channels away from the point of drawing, so if you witness any such incident, please report to your village head and then the police will alert FEMA”. She emphasized that FEMA advocates prevention and mitigation rather than disaster management and that all the relevant authorities have commenced the distilling of waterways, clearing of water channels and expanding narrow drainages for the free flow of water.

In his vote of thanks, Mr. Abubarkar Ododa Assistant Director, Education and Outreach (FRM) appreciated the Divers, Vanguard and Response Team for responding to the call of giving back to the society, and advised them not to let their people down by always doing the needful to avert disaster in their localities. He urged residents to always call the 112 Emergency told free number for the prompt response, he stressed that residents have a vital role to role as an emergency is everyone’s business.

The Day 1 of the meeting had in attendance representatives from Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji, and Day2 featured representatives of Amac, Kuje, and Bwari, to allow for maintenance of social distancing and COVID 19 protocols.