FEMD saved 3,500, rescued 105 from building collapse in 2024 — Ag DG

The FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD) has said it has facilitated the rescue of approximately 3,500 individuals from various emergency situations.

Acting Director General, FEMD Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, revealed this in Abuja on Monday while presenting the 2024 report on the activities of the Department.

He said the Department responded to various emergencies in the outgoing year, including building collapses, fire outbreaks, flooding, earth tremors, and provision of relief materials.

The Department, he said, relied on early warnings from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency to mitigate the impact of flooding.

“FEMD saved an estimated 3,500 lives from various emergencies through 165 calls on its 112 emergency toll-free number.

“A breakdown of the Search and Rescue activities in 2024 shows that 75 lives were rescued from various flood disasters. However, one life was lost to floods at Angwan Hakimi, Orozo, in Abuja Municipal Area Council.

“105 persons were rescued from building collapse and there were four fatalities. We had incidences at the Prince and Princess Estate, Guzape District, Garki 2, Kubwa, and Sabon Lugbe along the Airport Road.

“Fire outbreaks; 1,230 persons were rescued from various incidents, no life was lost”, he said.
He highlighted major challenges hampering its activities including obsolete equipment, limited office space, security issues on the field and inadequate funding.

Mohammed said in the coming year, FEMD will establish effective channels for sharing information and best practices, in addition to setting up secure data storage solutions.

He said: “We intend to Increase focus on risk assessment for the city centre to increase focus on risk assessment to mitigate potential disasters”.