Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, has stated that his administration is making every effort to lessen the effects of the flood calamity in the state.
Speaking at a State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) stakeholders’ conference in Umuahia, Alex Otti stated that road development, drainage system construction, blocked gutter opening, and erosion management are some of the strategies being used to stop flood disasters in Abia.
Early warning message distribution to the public is crucial to reducing the destructive effects of flood events in the state, according to the governor Alex Otti, who was represented at the conference by Philemon Ogbonna, the Commissioner for Environment.
He charged the participants to cascade the information and knowledge gathered to the citizens down to community levels, saying the meeting was apt following the flood disaster predictions by relevant Federal government agencies.
He further said that the meeting would help in building citizens’ resilience in the event of any flood disaster.
Zubaida Umar, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), stated in his speech—represented by Mr. Walter Brandon, a Director in the agency—that NEMA has created disaster mitigation plans that include rainwater harvesting and the development of local emergency responders’ capacity.
Sunny Jackson, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, stated in his welcome speech that the conference would prepare measures to lessen the anticipated effects of the impending flood calamity.
