The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has provided a grim update on the impact of the ongoing floods across Nigeria, revealing that 29 states and 172 local government areas have been affected.
According to the latest figures, 1,048,312 people have been impacted by the floods, with 625,239 displaced and 259 deaths recorded nationwide.
NEMA’s Director General, Zubaida Umar, shared the statistics during a National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) meeting held on Thursday.
The meeting aimed to review strategies and adjust responsibilities in response to the changing patterns of disasters, including the ongoing search and rescue operation in Borno State following the flood caused by the broken spillway of the Alau Dam.
While the floods have had a significant effect across many states, Umar noted that the overall trend aligns with the predictions made by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in this year’s Annual Flood Outlook.
NIHSA had warned that between July and September 2024, 33 states and 135 local government areas were at high risk of flooding. For the period between October and November, the outlook indicated that 19 states and 44 LGAs would be impacted.
Umar praised the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, and the Borno State Emergency Management Agency for their swift response to the flood crisis in Maiduguri.
“We commend the government for spearheading the response, rescue efforts, and the activation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps for those affected,” she said.
NEMA, alongside other agencies, is continuing its nationwide intervention efforts to assist the affected states. These include deploying additional personnel for search and rescue operations, distributing water purification equipment and other critical resources, and providing food and non-food items to support displaced populations.
“Our ongoing intervention across the affected states includes the deployment of additional personnel to support search and rescue operations; distribution of water purification and critical search and rescue equipment; provision of food and non-food items to support the affected persons, and the rehabilitation of displaced populations,” Umar stated.
The Federal Government, through NEMA, has also expressed condolences to those affected by the floods.
“We commiserate with those that have been affected by the flood disaster and assure them that necessary succour will sustainably be provided,” Umar added.
She concluded by appreciating the support of humanitarian partners and called for continued collaboration to mitigate the impact of the flooding across the country.
“We appreciate the support of our humanitarian partners and look forward to the sustained collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to ameliorate the suffering of affected people and also mitigate the impact of the flooding incidents across the country.”