The Executive Secretary Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Emmanuel Shior on Tuesday, 27th September 2022 held a press briefing on the flood situation in the State.
He said not fewer than One Hundred and Sixteen thousand Eighty Four victims (116,084) have been displaced by flood in 11 Local Government areas of the State as profiling of more victims is on going.
Dr. Shior said, inline with the warning issued by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Service (NIHSA), the Agency had previously advised people residing on floodplains to relocate to higher grounds in order to avert the recurrent disaster.
He further said areas mostly affected in the current incident include Achussah, Gyado Villa, Welfare Quarters, Wadata Ricemill, BIPC Quarters, Kanshio, Fiidi, Ricemill Wurukum amongst others.
He said NEMA has provided water purification machine in response to providing clean water so as to subvert water borne diseases in the affected areas.
Dr. Shior said Governor Samuel Ortom who is the Chairman of the Agency and as a responsive Governor has directed the profiling and distribution of relief materials to the affected victims.
He said, the Agency has made effort to interface with MDGs, NGO’s and other International humanitarian Agencies to proffer solution to the affected victims of the flood as the State is still overwhelmed with the over two million IDPs in the State.
The Director General of NEMA, who was represented by the Principal Search and Rescue Officer, Mr. John Digha commiserated with the state Government. He expressed NEMA’s commitment to attending to the flood victims, saying the purification machine was just a quick response to the disaster while food and nonfood items will soon arrive.
While flagging off the distribution of food items to flood victims, Dr. Shior said the first phase of the exercise is in response to four flood prone Local Government Areas of Agatu, Guma, Makurdi and Otukpo. Assuring that, victims of flood prone areas would be given top priority.
The food items distributed include, thousand bags of rice and thousand cartoons of noodles while non food items including mosquito nets, blankets and mattresses are yet to arrive.
Charity Agber
Information Officer,
Benue SEMA.
