NEMA, Stakeholders meet on disaster management

By Ramatu Garba

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Stakeholders in disaster management have brainstormed on timely response and emergency rescue operations, especially as it affects Kano and Jigawa states.

NEMA Territorial Coordinator for Kano and Jigawa States, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, stated this at a one-day Stakeholders meeting organized by the agency in collaboration with Kano and Jigawa States Emergency Management Agency in Kano last Thursday.

He said they came together to “evaluate and assess ourselves on most of the response activities we conducted and the ones to occur in the future,” he said.

He said the meeting will help to identify the gaps and how to address the gaps in future as well as provide solutions by devising best possible ways to save lives and property.

“Recently, we responded to building collapse at Beirut Road, Gas explosion at Sabon Gari, flood disaster in Kano and Jigawa States.

“We will identify where and what are the problems of floods in order to avoid future occurrences,” he stressed.

According to him, NEMA brought a lot of mitigation measures, adding that people should change their attitude to listening and paying heed to early warning predictions.

On his part, the Executive Secretary, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Saleh Jili, said the meeting was aimed at providing solutions on disaster management.

Jili called on the general public to cooperate with the disaster management agency in the state so as to have free flow of water in the state.

He advised residents to cultivate the habit of switching off their electrical appliances when going out of their houses or before going to bed as well as using cooking gas as harmattan is approaching.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Jigawa State SEMA, Alhaji Yusuf Sani-Babura, said 62 people were killed, while 110,189 persons were displaced by rainstorm and floods across the 27 Local Government Areas of the state.

He commended NEMA for the kind support given to the flood victims.

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director, Kano Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Authority, Mahmoud Aliyu, called on those living close to the river bank to vacate to avoid loss of lives and properties.

He further explained that the recent spillway of Tiga Dam was not intentional, as the dam was filled from the reservoir which has been taken care.

“It is necessary for a dam to spill water when it has reached a certain capacity so as to avoid natural disaster that will break down the dam and cause flood” Aliyu said.

A paper was presented by Kabiru Moriki, of NEMA on Search and Rescue and Epidemic Evacuation Plan (SARP).

The Stakeholders at the meeting included: the Police, DSS, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air force, Jigawa and Kano Fire Services, NSCDC, NAMA, FRSC, Kano Hisbah Board, Red Cross and the media among others.