The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency ( NASEMA) is to begin the distribution of non food items to flood disaster victims in 17 affected communities in Nasarawa State.
The distribution exercise which is to be carried out in 5 local government areas of Awe, Lafia, Nasarawa, Doma and Toto is aimed at helping residents rebuild their lives after the devastating floods that displaced hundreds of families and destroyed homes.
Speaking in a Press briefing ahead of the distribution exercise, the Director General (DG) NASEMA, Zachary Allumaga, stated that the agency was committed to providing relief to disaster victims in the State.
He noted that the non-food items were procured using a portion of the N 3 billion ecological funds recently released by the federal government to the State to ameliorate the sufferings of the affected communities.
The items to be distributed according to him include essential building materials such as roofing sheets, cement, nails while other items such as mattresses, mosquito nets, blankets and cooking utensils would also be provided to support daily living.
He stated that NASEMA would also provide safety awareness training to residents in the affected communities, adding that the agency sensitises the public on the importance of flood prevention measures and proper waste disposal to reduce the risk of future disasters.
” Nasarawa is prone to flood disaster due to its proximity to River Benue and so we carry out sensitisation programmes to communities especially getting the people to more to temporarily resettlement areas during flooding.
” We also provide information on best farming practices and we are working together with the State Ministry of Agriculture to educate farmers on how to cultivate their crops especially during flooding,” he said.
The NASEMA’s boss assured residents that government was working on long-term solutions, including the construction of bridges and drainage systems and other infrastructure projects, to prevent future flooding.
Allumaga lauded the federal government for providing funds to enable the state provide relief materials to those affected by the flood disaster in the state.
He also commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for prioritising the welfare of citizens even as he appreciated National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and other non Governmental Organisations for their continued support to humanitarian crisis in the state.
