The Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Abass Idriss, has, once again, warned residents to take precautionary measures to avert disasters in the Territory, especially with the onset of the rainy season.
Addressing journalists Monday in Abuja, during the technical stakeholder meeting for the review of draft national multi-sectoral flood emergency preparedness and response plan, Idriss said that the response time of FEMA to disasters is three minutes as the Agencies have trained officials to rescue residents.
Represented at the event by the Deputy Director, Forecasting, Response and Mitigation, Florence Wenegieme, Idriss said FEMA does not focus on providing relief materials to disaster victims, but always preach on disaster mitigation.
He said: “The purpose of this programme cannot be overemphasized. Good coordination is needed to tackle disasters. Stakeholders are being put together to ensure that we come up with suggestions and strategies on how such disasters can be handled.
“Disaster management is not a one-man business. It is something that has to do with different agencies and that is why it is very important for stakeholders to come together to know how to mitigate flooding and other disasters.
“If we cannot avoid it, then we should be able to mitigate it. However, we have disasters that are avoidable. If such disasters can be avoided, then we create awareness and let people know how to avoid them. The one that we cannot avoid, when it happens, then how do we mitigate it? So, it is very important that stakeholders come together for a solution to disasters.
“FEMA does not believe in providing relief materials. Rather, we make sure we create awareness so that people can know how to avoid avoidable disasters. The ones we can’t prevent, then we make sure that few lives are affected.
“In that case, what we do is to try and move people to safer locations. In doing that, we use schools and temporary tents that have mosquito repellants, solar panels, among others. Also, for the few days that victims will there, we try to provide relief materials that will sustain them until they get back to their homes.
“So, relief materials in the FCT have not really been an issue as we have created awareness. We have carried out aggressive sensitisation within the FCT, so few people have been affected, unlike other states.”
He added: Nevertheless, our advice to FCT residents has always been, when it rains, do not drive through running waters. Flooding that can be avoided are caused by human activities. There should be no dumping of refuse in water ways. There should be no farming activities carried out around river banks. Make sure you don’t drive through running waters. Do not build on water ways. When it rains heavily, you don’t really have to go out at that particular time. Delay your outing, allow the water level to come down, let the water subside before you go out.
“In fact, if there is another road you feel is safer, then you can make use of that road. Never under-rate the power of running water. Also, do not build on water ways. That is what we have always told people during our sensitisation campaigns. Before the rains, we go out on early warnings, carry out assessment of the whole FCT, especially flood prone locations. At the same time, we have done the hazard mapping of FCT.
“We have also done the capacity assessment of every area council and we gave always made sure that the local emergency committee are put in place and always in full swing. We have local divers, we have volunteers, vanguards we have trained that before even our arrival, they swing into action.
“That is why our response time is three minutes. We have jingles going on with our emergency number, 112. We have even gone to the extent of getting another emergency mobile number we can use, but we always plead with residents to use the 112 to get across to us during emergencies.”
