FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has said it would continue to re-strategise to prevent the reoccurrence of disasters of any kind in the territory.
The Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, as the agency held its second review and preparedness meeting with divers, vanguards and rescue team.
The meeting follows NIMET’S 2020 prediction of torrential rainfall and flooding in parts of the country including the FCT.
The flood a fortnight ago claimed many lives and properties in Giri and Gwagwalada.
The FEMA boss noted that the meeting was imperative at this time to alert the volunteers on dangers of the season and to sensitise them on prevention, response and mitigation measures.
Idriss, who was represented at the meeting by Mrs Florence Wenegiemie, Deputy Director, Forecasting, Response and mitigation of FEMA, urged the participants to be more proactive in this year’s raining season.
He also advised them to adequately prepare and take responsibility of sensitising their people especially as “we approach the peak of this rainy season”.
Idriss also reminded them on the need to remind their people that COVID-19 was “real and still with us”.
“There is the need to maintain personal hygiene and take voluntary responsibility of their lives by adhering to Covid-19 protocols”.
He also alerted them of possible flash flood in their communities and enjoined them to put in place necessary preventive measures to avert it.
The director-general commended them for promptly swinging into action whenever there was an emergency in their localities before the arrival of FEMA response team.
He, therefore, urged them as FEMA trained ambassadors to take the alert message home using their village town criers, youths, and women groups as means of communication.
He also admonished residents to desist from unwholesome activities that could lead to disasters in the FCT.
One of the volunteers, Miss Zhazim Josephine from Kwali Area Council, said she was motivated to enroll as a community Vanguard because of her interest to save lives.
“If people don’t come out to help the society, lives and properties will continue to be lost and you can’t predict who will be the next victim, thus the need for volunteers”.
On his part, Mr Fwankat Linus, a diver from Bwari Area Council said; “I have been empowered with the knowledge of preventing and mitigating flood disaster in my locality.
“From here, I will go back and sensitise my people and neighbouring villages on the alert of flooding this rainy season and how to prevent it because FEMA cannot do it alone”.
© 2020, Scud News. All rights reserved.
