On Monday, 11th August 2025, a delegation from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) South South Directorate and the NEMA Operations Office, Port Harcourt, led by the Director, South South Directorate, Dr. Godwin Tepikor, attended a meeting with the Rivers State Flood Committee.
The meeting, convened at the invitation of the Committee, was chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Mr. Allwell Okrereuko, and attended by other committee members, including some Local Government Area Administrators.
During the session, Dr. Tepikor and the Head of Port Harcourt Operations Office, Mr Eric Ebhodage briefed the committee on measures already undertaken by NEMA at both strategic and operational levels following the release of the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) by NiMet and the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by NIHSA. These include:
Downscaling of the SCP through the National Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) across all affected states, including Rivers State.
Stakeholder engagements at state, local, and community levels to enhance awareness and promote early warning compliance.
Courtesy visits to emergency response agencies such as the Disaster Response Units (DRUs), Fire Service, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), NSCDC, and the Red Cross to place them on red alert and ensure readiness.
Identification of temporary shelters in flood-prone LGAs for potential displacement situations.
Public awareness campaigns on flood predictions using media broadcasts and jingles.
Community sensitisation on proper waste management in public areas.
Continuous monitoring of river water levels, particularly the Orashi River, in collaboration with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Prepositioning of relief items, including food, medicines, and non-food items, for emergency intervention.
Planning a joint flood simulation exercise between NEMA and the State to build local capacity for community-level first response.
Establishment of a Central Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at NEMA Headquarters for coordinated information management, data collection, and operational support across states.
Dr. Tepikor advised the State Government to take additional steps, including:
Setting up a State Situation Room with key stakeholders for real-time coordination during flood incidents.
Clearing and opening of waterways.
Ensuring temporary shelter camps are ready, with NEMA pledging full collaboration in their establishment and management.
He assured the Committee that NEMA remains fully prepared to complement the State Government’s efforts to ensure the impact of any potential flooding is significantly mitigated.
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Okrereuko, commended NEMA for its proactive measures and reaffirmed the State’s commitment to working closely with the Agency for effective management of the predicted flood emergency in Rivers State.
