Environment
NEMA to map out ”vulnerable communities” in response to NiMet predictions
By Ruth Oketunde
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is to map vulnerable communities in response to the 2021 seasonal climate forecast.
The director general of the agency, rtd. AVM Muhammadu Muhammed, revealed Wednesday during a two-day technical expert workshop on “disaster risk management” in Abuja.
Muhammed said the decision to map vulnerable communities was in response to the 2021 climate forecast from the Nigerian Measurement Agency (NiMet)p>
He said the decision which would take the form of early warning messages would help national emergency management agencies (SEMA) and others take proactive risk reduction measures.
He said the meeting aimed to develop rapid action plans against possible climate risks in the country.
He said the rally is necessary given past experiences of unprecedented flooding and other disasters that have affected several states in Nigeria.
Muhammed said such disasters have wreaked havoc on communities and have significantly affected the country’s resilience to disasters.
“The impact of these dangers on lives, property and the environment depends on our level of preparedness, which depends to a large extent on effective early warning systems.
“The early warning messages that will be developed here will prepare state governors, SEMAs, local emergency management committees and others to facilitate risk reduction mechanisms in their communities,” he said. declared.
He said NEMA will continue to map vulnerable communities based on forecasts from climate risk monitoring agencies to improve and lead the awareness campaign in critical states.
The Director-General commended the efforts of stakeholders for their cooperation, collaboration and partnership in disaster management in the country.
In a remark, Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting, NEMA, Ms Fatima Kasim, said the workshop was being organized to interpret the different implications of the 2021 climate forecast.
Kasim said participants were required to make recommendations on how to prepare, propose mitigation measures and respond to the expected impact of the expected rainfall regime, especially flooding.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that NiMet released the climate forecast for the year on February 2, 2021.
The agency in the report predicted a normal to above-normal rainy season in most parts of the country in 2021.
He further predicted below normal precipitation totals in a few places in the northwest, including Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Kano states. (NOPE)
(NAN)
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