The Permanent Secretary, Lagos Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, has said that climate change is at the root of the new phase of disaster around the world and flooding is a major fallout of this natural disaster.

He said this at the 2024 management staff retreat of the agency with the theme, leadership roles in disaster management.
He further said Climate Change Considerations in Emergency Planning is a must to ensure effective response and recovery.

Oke-Osanyintolu said: “Climate Change poses as a significant challenge to emergency management, necessitating proactive considerations in emergency planning. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and unpredictable natural disasters demand innovative strategies to mitigate risks and ensure resilient communities.

“As leaders who play vital role in Disaster Management, we must integrate climate change considerations into emergency planning as the bane of perennial flooding.

In conclusion, effective leadership is critical in disaster management.

“As leaders, we must possess the necessary skills, knowledge, and expertise to respond to and recover from disasters efficiently. By understanding the key leadership roles, responsibilities, and essential skills, organizations and communities can better prepare for and respond to disasters, ultimately saving lives and reducing disaster impacts.”

According to him, as leaders, the management staff must understand that leadership role in disaster management is a critical component of effective response, rescue and recovery operation.

“We equally understand that the base for Effective disaster management is strategic leadership, which enables timely, efficient, and impactful response and recovery efforts.

Leadership roles in disaster management are crucial in the business of saving lives, mitigating damage, and supporting affected communities.

“To perform its key leadership roles and responsibilities optimally at incident scenes and beyond for Disaster Risk Reduction, LASEMA and its stakeholders have the essential skills required in Emergency/Disaster Management which the Agency as arrowhead, has horned with continuous trainings and simulations to sharpen the reflexes of its responders.

“As front runners in disaster management, quick situation assessment of disaster impact and identification is a must, just as strategic planning, to develop and implement response and recovery plans. This does not leave out resource mapping and Allocation, not just to manage and distribute resources effectively, but also help in location of specific equipment “if needed” in order to call up such for effective response to disasters.”