The Imo/Abia states operation of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has retrained 487 corps members serving as Emergency Management Vanguards (EMVs) for sensitisation and disaster risk in preparation for this year’s likely flooding.
The NEMA coordinator, Imo/Abia operations office, Mr. Evans Ugoh,made this known in Owerri yesterday while presenting the scorecard of his first three months in office.
He said preparations were also ongoing to inaugurate another group of EMVs in Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta local governments which are the most venerable areas in Imo on flood disaster.
Ugoh said the aim of the retraining and inauguration of EMVs was for them to help the agency to propagate the campaign on disaster risk reduction at the grassroots.
He said the campaign will equally assist in early warning measures, which he said would go a long way in preventing disaster.
Ugoh said NEMA has distributed relief materials worth over N150million within three months to no fewer than 5000 victims of disaster spread across Imo and Abia states.
Ugoh stressed the need for the people to quickly report any unusual rise in the water level to NEMA, adding that incase of any disaster, the agency would always identify with the plight of victims.
He said between January and now, the agency’s Owerri operations offices in collaboration with other stakeholders in disaster management have intervened in various disaster occurrences, which include the fire outbreak at Pictorial Hotel, Nekede Market fire and Mofil filling station.
Ugoh raised alarm over the dangers associated with the rising number of filling stations around residential areas in Imo and Abia states, noting that most of the fuel stations do not have government approval, but wondered why they should allow them to still operate.
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