Building collapse: FEMA, stakeholders meet to strengthen response, victims’ recovery

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) met with stakeholders on Wednesday, to review the level of preparedness, response, and recovery of victims during possible building  collapses.

The meeting was a fall out of the two-storey building that collapsed in Garki Village on Aug. 23.

Dr Abbas Idriss, Director-General, FEMA, said at the opening of the meeting in Abuja, that the goal was to make recommendations that would improve preparedness, response, and recovery of victims in the future.

Idriss said that the meeting was comvened to review the activities of responders at the scene of the incident with a view to identifying  lapses to forestall future recurrence.

He commended the responders for their prompt response, adding that in spite of the delay in the arrival of rescue equipment, they used their professional skills to rescue 37 affected persons from the rubbles.

Idriss appealed to all the responders to take coordination and synergy more seriously to achieve better results.

Stakeholders at the meeting included the Department of Development Control, FCT Police Command, Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, the Red Cross and the National Emergency Management Agency.

Others were the Federal Road Safety Corps FCT Command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

The stakeholders identified crowds as one of the challenges affecting rescue operations as well as lack of information on the number of occupants in collapsed buildings.

They also identified mob action and vandalisation of equipment by hoodlums as the other challenges.

The stakeholders resolved that the Nigeria Police and the NSCDC should intensify efforts in cordoning incident scenes to provide optimal security to the rescuers.

They also stressed the need for coordination and cooperation among emergency responders, establishment of an information point at the incident scenes and provision of adequate equipment.