By Okey Maduforo Awka.
A total of 18,904 households affected by the perennial flood disaster last year in Anambra state have received relief materials from the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA.
This is coming as the Anambra Deputy Governor and Chairman Flood Mitigation Committee Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim announces that government has established holding camps in ten local government areas in the state ahead of this year’s flooding.
Director-General, NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed disclosed this in Awka during the distribution of the special national economic and livelihood emergency intervention to 2022 flood victims and vulnerable persons on Tuesday.
Ahmed who was represented by Assistant Director, NEMA, Olusegun Mr Afolarin said that the intervention was to cushion the effect of the flood devastation as well as the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of oil subsidy.
“The 2022 flood disaster devastated many communities across the country, including Anambra state.
“After the flood incident, damage and loss assessment were conducted and relief items approved for 18,904 households in Anambra.
“The assessment was done n collaboration with the State Emergency Management Agency, hence, the distribution of the relief items to support the victims’ quick return to normalcy, ” he said.
The NEMA DG advised beneficiaries to make utmost use of the items and avoid selling the none food items as it is expected that they continue their livelihood with the empowerment.
Also speaking, the governor Charles Soludo, appreciated the federal government for the intervention, saying that the effect of the flood disaster is beyond the capacity of the state government.
Soludo represented by his deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, said the flood incident affected health, education and economic sectors as well as the livelihood of residents.
“Our administration is commitment to supporting programmes that would be directed towards alleviating the socio-economic hardship of the people of the state.
“In preparation for this year’s flooding, the holding camps are already activated and people in the riverine areas will soon be moving in as the water level continue to rise this year,” he said.
In a remark, Executive Secretary, SEMA, Chief Paul Odenigbo said that the beneficiaries were drawn from 10 Local Government Areas affected by the flood incident in the state.
Some of the items distributed were sewing, machines, grinding machines, water pump machines, cooking stove, cooking poots, mattresses, mosquito nets, mats, soap, buckets, and blankets.
Others were herbicides, pesticides, growth enhancer, fertilizer, yam, rice, beans and maize seedlings, salt, garri, satchets of tomato pastes, vegetable oil and seasoning cubes.
