- The Benue State Emergency Management Agency says five communities in the state and a rice mill have been submerged under flood waters
- The agency has embarked on a campaign to encourage residents of flood prone areas to relocate to safer areas
- Centers in the state, including the international market, have also been prepared to accommodate persons displaced by the flood
Emmanuel Shior, the executive secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), said on Wednesday, September 19, that the rampaging flood has submerged five communities in Agatu and other parts of Makurdi, the state capital.
Shior disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Makurdi on the current flood situation in the state, adding that the rice mill and other settlements on the banks of River Benue were also affected, NAN reports.
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NAIJ.com gathers that he said that the state government had taken proactive measures, including setting up a committee to sensitise the people of the state on the dangers ahead.
The flood has submerged five communities and a rice mill (Photo credit: NAN)
Source: Depositphotos
He said that the committee consists of officials drawn from SEMA, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Information and other stakeholders in the state.
Shior said that SEMA, in conjunction with NEMA and other stakeholders, had embarked on an awareness campaign in the media, churches and mosques. He said that the campaign was intended to encourage residents of flood prone areas to relocate to safer areas.
The BSEMA boss said that the latest check with a guage showed that the water level at the River Benue had risen to 11 metres, barely one meter to its maximum level.
According to him, the water has virtually reached the level that caused flooding in 2012, during which most parts of the state were submerged. He advised residents to steer clear from the river because of the high level, saying that 12 metres was the highest level that could cause disaster in any state.
He said that centers in the state, including the international market, had been prepared to accommodate displaced persons.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) inaugurated its emergency operations centers across Nigeria.
The director general of the agency, Mustapha Maihaja, said NEMA inaugurated five different emergency centers to facilitate prompt search and rescue operations.
Maihaja said the new centers are also expected to provide humanitarian support in the 12 states that are mostly affected by flooding.
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Source: Naija.ng