NEMA partners UN to mitigate disaster impacts

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says its partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair (UN-OCHA) will reduce the sufferings of Nigerians affected by disasters.

The Director-General (DG) of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja when the Head of UN-OCHA in Nigeria, Mr Trond Jensen paid her a visit.

Umar commended the collaboration between NEMA and (UN-OCHA) in enhancing disaster response capabilities.

She used the opportunity of the visit to reel out mechanisms toward mitigating the impact of flooding on humans and environment as the rainy season sets in.

According to her, the mechanism included developing early warning alerts based on the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and public sensitisation to precautionary measures to avert flood impacts.

The NEMA DG also announced an expert meeting to analyse the SCP and develop strategies for saving lives and safeguarding livelihoods.

“Other flood disaster mitigating activities will be rolled out during NEMA’s upcoming Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) meeting,” she said.

On his part, Jensen praised the D-G’s experience in the on-shore sector, noting that it would be useful in finding solutions and improving efficiency and effectiveness.

He expressed excitement about the growing relationship between UN-OCHA and NEMA, saying “such foresees great things in the future”

Jensen emphasised the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing climate change and humanitarian challenges.

He then stressed the need for joint efforts to tackle increasing temperatures and irregular weather patterns, such as floods.