EU commits €70,000 to fight floods in Nigeria

The European Union (EU) has provided €70,000 as emergency preparedness to reduce the impact of floods in the country.

A statement Tuesday by EU said the fund was to support the Nigerian Red Cross Society to increase its capacity and preparedness to reduce the impact of likely floods in Ondo, Kogi, Kebbi, Anambra, and Cross River States.

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“This will be done through increased community awareness, prepositioning of stocks, mapping of evacuation centres and hygiene promotion.”

The statement read in part: “It is expected that this support directly benefits 10,000 people and, indirectly, around 25,000 more.

“The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“In the past decade, especially during the last three years, there has been an observed pattern of flooding in Nigeria, with floods becoming the second most recurrent hazard affecting the country, after the epidemics.

“The high flooding period generally recorded from August to October is usually characterised by the collapse of major dams, overflow of riverbanks and heavy occupation of residential areas or the environment by large masses of water due to heavy flow of run-off rainwater.

“Uprooting and washing away of residential buildings, and blowing away roofs of buildings. The rainy season also brings with it landslides in which hills and high lands collapse, burying people’s buildings and farmlands.

“The menace of erosion also comes in to contribute to further deteriorate the conditions of the people and their environments.”