Posted by As of March 2023, NEMA reports that 33,983 people have been impacted by flooding in the United States.
This number was presented on Thursday at the Emergency Coordination Forum Meeting in Abuja by Hajiya Fatima Kasim, Director, Planning, Research, and Forecasting.
She explained that there are several causes, including poor construction practices, that contribute to the annual floods that has plagued the country.
inadequate drainage system, inadequate solid waste management, detrimental land-use activities like deforestation, and climate change were also mentioned as contributing causes by Kasim.
She also said that 178 local government areas across 32 states and the FCT are located in high flood risk zones, based on NiMet’s 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction released earlier this year.
While acknowledging that more information on the number of individuals affected by flood catastrophes in the country is needed, she did say that some data has been compiled by the agency in the last seven months.
She remarked, “As of August 9, the following information has been compiled regarding floods in 2023.
There were five fatalities, 75 injuries, 1,679 completely destroyed homes, and 866 hectares of farmland destroyed. Ten states were affected, and 33,983 people were impacted by the disaster.
NEMA Director-General Mr. Mustapha Ahmed had earlier stated that the agency had decided to revive the Emergency Coordination Forum meeting in order to properly focus on disaster management.
He explained that the emergency coordination forum allows different groups to meet and talk about the humanitarian issues that arise in the wake of disasters and other catastrophes.
“The purpose of this is to encourage cooperation and partnership among emergency management agencies across the country.”