Panic grips residents of flood-prone areas of Rivers, as NIMET predicts flooding in 18 out of 23 LGAs

…NIMET, NEMA urge state and local government councils to setup structures check the impending disaster

BY IBRAHIM BAKARE

Panic has gripped residents of perennial flood-prone areas as in Rivers State as the National Emergency management Agency, NEMA, has again warned that 18 Local Government areas in Rivers State would be flooded.

The South-South zonal Director of NEMA,Walson Brandon has therefore urged residents to take proactive steps to prepare for the upcoming flood in the state by creating designated Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camps.

File photos of flooded areas in Rivers State.

 Walson Brandon,who spoke on a Radio Programme on Monday July 13, 2020 monitored in Port Harcourt said residents in the 18 Local Government Areas of Rivers State should not panic as the Nigeria Hydro-logical Services and Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET, singled out 11 local government area in Rivers state that will suffer severe flooding, while seven of them would suffer mild flooding and urge residents to prepare ahead of time.

NEMA’s forecast shows that flooding might sack the following LGAs: Akuku-Toru, Ahoada-West, Ahoada-East, Andoni, Asari-Toru, Abua /Odual, Bonny, Degema, Etche, Gokana, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Oyigbo, Obio-Akpor, Ogu-Bolo, Okrika, Opobo-Nkoro, Port Harcourt City and Tai.

The South-South zonal NEMA Boss called on those who live in and around the low level areas to begin to gather their valuables to safeguard them, and also identify the designated IDP camp for easy of movement as NEMA is also making adequate arrangement to assist flood disaster prone areas.

Walson Brandon also expressed worry that the Rivers State Government is yet to set up Emergency Management procedures to mitigate the impeding flooding as local and state government are the first respondents in Emergency cases.

He also cautioned both the local government agencies to setup structures awaiting the flood bearing in mind that Federal agencies only intervene at a stage of the flooding which may be too late, insisting that the local government councils and State Government mitigate the menace at the preliminary stages to avoid colossal disaster.

He also explained that on flash floods, the normal to near normal rainfall pattern in the country does not rule out the possibility of isolated flash floods due to increasing high intensity rainfall at the peak of the season, especially in areas that are naturally prone to flooding. 

He said residents can also assist government to prevent flooding of urban Areas and not build water channels, avoid dumping of refuse in the drains  and clear their drainage’s to accommodate volumes of water after each rainfall.

In same vein,the Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency, Felix Obua,has also warned residents of the state to stop dumping refuse inside gutters and on natural waterways to avoid flood in their areas and disasters associated with them.