Anambra State government has warned residents in the flood-prone areas to take seriously the warning by relevant authorities to relocate to safer grounds in order to avoid regrets.
The Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who gave the advice at the commencement of the Anambra State Fire and Safety Summit in Awka, observed that paying lip-service to disaster warnings had led to loss of lives and properties in the past.
He emphasised the need for people to be proactive as flood and other related disaster cases do not give signal before occurring.
“We are not taking anything to chance in our efforts as if this year’s flooding is the worst. People should embrace risk management as flood does not give signal,” he added.
The governor also expressed displeasure over the carefree disposition of the people of the state towards investing on insurance, saying it was the reason they were usually the worst hit whenever disasters occurred.
He however, called on the citizens to develop the culture of insuring their lives and property, arguing that it was one sure way of mitigating the adverse effects of disasters.
Obiano announced the procurement of ten sophisticated modern fire-fighting trucks by his administration to boost the activities of the state fire service.