NEMA Takes Grassroots Emergency Preparedness, Awareness To Ekiti Communities

in a bid to mitigate the adverse effect of flood disaster in Ekiti the National Emergency Management Agency has initiated Grassroot Emergency Preparedness and Awareness Drive to sensitize the residents of Ekiti State at the Grassroot level.

The Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar in her address said flood disaster in recent times has claimed several lives and as well destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.

Mrs Umar represented by the Head of NEMA Ekiti Operations Office Dr Kofoworola Soleye stated this at a five days sensitization and Awareness campaign

Mrs Umar noted that despite ongoing swift response from NEMA, many communities remain unaware of basic preparedness measures and response strategies as regards flood disasters.

To take the awareness to all the nooks and crannies of Ekit, it therefore pertinent to organize the Grassroot Emergency Preparedness and Awareness Drive (NEMA-GEPAD) .

Which she said was a community-focused, high impact Sensitisation programme which will prioritize direct communities engagement, advocacy and practical demonstrations in ensuring that people at the Grassroot level understands their exposure to hazards, safety measures and how to respond effectively to emergencies.

Activities line up for the program,include; Stakeholders Advocacy and Engagements which were conducted at various communities to advocate for their involvement in the awareness campaigns through their various activities and programs, as this will ensure a wider reach to the Grassroot.

Some identified flood high risk Local Government were visited in order to sensitize the residents about the dangers of flood, evacuation techniques during emergencies and most especially they were advised to temporarily relocate to higher grounds once they noticed that water level is rising sporadically.

Markets, schools and traditional rulers platforms were also utilized to cascade the information to their followers through their various meetings and sermons .

The chain of programs which had various stakeholders present lasted for five days.