Flooding toll reaches 259, one million affected nationwide – NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reported a severe flooding crisis affecting 29 states and 172 Local Government Areas (LGA) across Nigeria.

The disaster has impacted over 1,048,312 people, displaced 625,239, and resulted in 259 deaths.

NEMA Director General Zubaida Umar provided these updates at the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) meeting on Thursday, where strategies and responsibilities were reviewed in light of the current flood pattern.

A Search and Rescue operation is ongoing in Borno State due to a broken spillway at the Alau Dam.

Despite the severity of the flooding in Borno, Umar noted that the situation is consistent with predictions in this year’s Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which had identified 33 states and 135 LGAs as high-risk flood areas from July to September 2024. The recent data indicates continued issues into October and November, affecting 44 LGAs.

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The NEMA DG praised Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum and local emergency services for their swift response, including setting up Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

She said, “Our ongoing intervention across the affected states include deployment of additional personnel to support Search and Rescue operations; distribution of water purification and critical search and Rescue equipment; provision of food and non-food items to support the affected persons and the rehabilitation of displaced populations.

“Through our agency, NEMA, the Federal Government commiserates with those that have been affected by the flood disaster and assures them that necessary succour will sustainably be provided.

“We appreciate the support of our humanitarian partners and look forward to the sustained collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to ameliorate the suffering of affected people and also mitigate the impact of the flooding incidents across the country.”