The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has disclosed that the organisation had responded to 70,352,948 calls from the general public since 2016.
Out of which 198,100 were escalated to several agencies, the Director General of the agency, Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyitolu stated.
He said the incidents vary from accidents, fires, vehicle break down, illness/injury and collapsed buildings.
He spoke at a virtual conversation to mark the “International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.”
He stated that LASEMA has since its inception achieved disaster risk reduction through cooperation among various agents, such as states, international organizations, local governments, local civil society organizations, and citizens themselves.
In disaster reduction, he stated that LASEMA has been very active in four areas including, among others to increase public awareness of risks and existing solutions to reduce vulnerability to hazards, obtain commitment by public authorities to reduce risk to people and their livelihoods, to stimulate multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral partnerships and expand risk reduction networks.
To mitigate the impact of disasters and sustain the state’s socio-economic investment, he said, “LASEMA chooses to act now, thereby, adopting a proactive, holistic and comprehensive approach in disaster management, enabling us to mainstream disaster risk management systematically into development undertakings.”
According to him, the costs of disasters have been very high both in financial and human terms.
“I imagine we can agree that not being prepared for them is not the smartest policy. LASEMA is the very first helpdesk for affected populations, when our communities are hit by natural disasters within the Lagos Metropolitan.
“The key factors for successful disaster management as applied by LASEMA include; forecasting, warning, local government diffusion, civil society participation and popular understanding and action,” he added.
He said recent disasters within the state such as the Fire outbreak at Shoba on March 15 2020 as well as previous incidences in Baruwa, Jakande, Ipaja axis of the state were all as a result of leaking pipeline and it was uncovered that there had earlier been an improper sealing of the pipeline from previous incidents.
The DG said LASEMA and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) officials deployed measures using chemicals to minimize the risk of explosion and ensured proper sealing of the pipeline.
Regarding flood hazard, he stated that there is emerging consensus that structural mitigation measures have limited utility.
