Flash Flood: NEMA unveils $300,000 real-time monitoring, communication facility to tackle menace in remote communities

As flash flood continues to ravage communities across the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has unveiled a $300,000 monitoring and communication facility to tackle the menace in remote villages.

NEMA DG, Mustapha Habib Ahmed who commissioned the facility, Monday in Abuja said it was donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid Relief Centre (KS Relief) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed explained that the “Real-time monitoring and communication equipment and proposed relief assistance are timely and cannot come at a better time than now when the country is bearing the brunt of widespread flood disaster with 603 lives lost, 1,302,589 people displaced and critical assets including roads and farmlands washed away as a result of the intensive deluge.

He went on: “The equipment donated to NEMA will no doubt enable NEMA ineffective coordination of its relief and recovery activities across the affected states as we pass through this challenging moment.

“There is no doubt that the current flood disaster that has affected the entire federation of Nigeria has tested the wits of emergency responders and has brought to fore the importance of international collaboration on emergency service delivery in the country.”

“In this regard, the Federal Government of Nigeria through NEMA has consistently provided humanitarian relief to the people in the entire Nigerian federation. Yet there is always the need for additional support from partners, both local and international to enable the speedy recovery of the affected persons from the prolonged crises and other sudden onset disasters nationwide.”

“You may recall that activities of Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits in the two regions have resulted in a humanitarian crisis that requires coordinated efforts and the intervention of government, local and International humanitarian actors to give succour to persons in need.

Ahmed who described the KS Relief Center as “a reliable ally”, affirmed that the partnership between NEMA and KS Relief Center “dates back to 2018. Between 2018 and 2021, the centre donated relief items to Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States.

“Furthermore, in 2021, KS Relief graciously upgraded the NEMA Contact Centre which was commissioned on the 13th of August 2021 at the NEMA Headquarters, Abuja.

“Phase 2 of the project, which involves the provision of equipment for real-time monitoring and communication during emergencies has also been completed by KS Relief. With the audio-visual communication on disaster and humanitarian outlook, NEMA operatives deployed to the field can now send real-time feedback to the Agency’s Emergency Coordination Centre.

“The system will no doubt promote early response and facilitate the efficient management and deployment of life-saving human and material resources. Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, | am extremely delighted that this very important system will be commissioned by the delegation from KS Relief Centre today.

“Furthermore, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, today i am delighted to announce that, KS Relief has proposed to donate 16,000 food baskets of relief materials to Borno State for another two cycles of intervention to be distributed directly in IDP camps in the State in collaboration with SEMA and other partners. Each household is expected to have a 59.8-kilogram basket of food comprising of items.”

On his part, the Leader of the KS Relief Centre, Alyousef Abdul-Mohsen explained that “many projects were efficiently implemented with NEMA, around million people were reached with food assistance carefully designed to take the local consumption habit into consideration.

“KS Relief approved the third food assistance project to support internally displaced people in Nigeria in collaboration with NEMA and today we gathered to inaugurate the project.

“In addition, our relationship was further strengthened with NEMA with the approval of the capacity development project to upgrade the coordination and information-sharing capacity of NEMA to enhance emergency response. The provision of communications equipment will facilitate communication between NEMA and the field offices and enable NEMA to coordinate humanitarian responses to the affected population in the country.

“This aid comes as an extension of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister to affected countries and people all over the world.”

In his remarks, NEMA’s Director, of Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Nuhu Alhassan noted that NEMA’s relationship with KS Relief started in 2018 when it donated food items worth $10 million to 140,486 Households in Borno and Yobe State.

“Also in 2021, 16,668 food baskets worth $1,147,310 were donated to support internally displaced persons in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States as a result of insurgency and banditry. Additionally, communication equipment worth $300,000 was donated to NEMA to support its operation. All these have impacted positively on the lives of the affected persons and on emergency response activities of the Agency,” he said.