How early warning mechanisms reduce flood fatalities

This year’s flooding would not be forgotten any time soon due to its devastating impact on millions of victims especially in Yobe and Borno states, writes Ladi Jossy.

This year, the North-East states of Yobe and Borno witnessed heavy floods occassioned by increased rainfall.
It resulted in huge losses including; the collapse of some bridges, washing away of farmlands, some animals, roads, schools, hospitals and market stalls destroyed.

But the impact of the flood was minimize due to early warning system and mechanism put in a place by Mai Mala Buni, Yobe State Governor, and stakeholders to evacuate those people around riverine areas across the state.

However, some Local Government Areas were submerged including: Bade, Yusufari, Yunusari, Potiskum, Nguru, Nangere, Nguru, Machina, Tarmuwa, Karasuwa, Jakusko, Gulani, Gujba, Geidam, Fune, Fika, Damaturu, and Bursari.

As part of efforts to resettle flood-displaced residents in 17 LGAs of the state, where 47 peope lost their lives, with about 29,000 mould houses destroyed, 44,000 farmlands submerged, and 68,964 individuals equally affected by the torrent floodwaters, the government has provided relief materials.

Mairo Amshi, Commissioner of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, after the state’s Executive Council Meeting in Damaturu, the state capital, assured residents of transparency and accountability in the disbursement of the fund and other reliefmaterials.

The Yobe State Government approved the disbursement of N1.4 billion to 25,500 flood victims as well.

Amshi said that the Executive Council led by Governor Mai Mala Buni had approved the amount to cushion the negative impact of the flood on the victims, with1,500 beneficiaries in each Local Government Area.

“A memo was submitted to the Council for Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to 2024 flood victims as a Post Disaster Recovery at cost of N1,436,500 billion to cover all affected areas.

“Survey has been conducted, and we are yet to complete the surveys in all the 17 LGAs of the state, 150 target locations have been identified and we are still continuing with survey in identifying a total of 1,500 flood victims in each of the Local Government Areas,” the commissioner said.

In the same vein the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) donated food, NFIs, and livelihood support to Mafa IDPs.

Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for NCFRMI, explained that the magnitude of this year floods could not be overemphasized, while assuring that the federal government is committed to supporting those who were affected.

Tijani said that as approved by the National Commission, they are supporting the Yobe State Government with food items, livelihood kits, dry season agricultural support, and educational kits.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at providing assistance to the displaced individuals and ensuring their well-being during the relocation process.

“A total of 798 internally displaced persons (IDPs) households from Mafa are already enrolled to receive a multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) transfer value of ₦70,000 per household monthly for three months (September to November 2024) and hygiene and dignity non-food items (NFIs) for the same population.

“This support is crucial in helping the displaced families meet their basic needs and maintain their dignity during this challenging period,” he said.

The collaboration with NCFRMI and other stakeholders is a testament to the government’s dedication to addressing the needs of the displaced persons and facilitating their smooth relocation and recovery. He noted that Governor Buni’s administration remains committed to supporting the Mafa IDPs and ensuring that all necessary resources are mobilized to provide effective and timely assistance.

The LGAs applauded the resettlement of the victims, describing it as a giant stride.

The disbursement exercise in Nangere was inaugurated by the chairman of the LGA, Samaila Musa. The first tranche of payments has been made to 492 households, with subsequent payments to follow as the validation process continues.

The Nangere LGA is among the worst-hit areas, with over 3,000 households affected and five fatalities recorded as of September 2024.

Musa noted that the initiative follows the registration of victims between July 7 and August 18, 2024. In addition to the cash stimulus, SEMA has previously distributed food and non-food items (NFIs) to the affected individuals.

“Despite the initial target of 953 beneficiaries, the number of victims has exceeded this figure, prompting the mobilization of additional resources to support those affected across Nangere and other local government areas (LGAs).

“The beneficiaries come from the four wards of Chukuriwa, Dawasa, Pakarau, and Nangere, which were severely impacted by the recent floods,” he said.

Meanwhile, Save the Children International (SCI), in collaboration with SEMA, validated 800 victims to receive essential support. The suport include; multi-purpose cash assistance of ₦100,000 each for 300 victims, water, sanitation, and hygiene, non-food items distributed to 800 victims through its implementing partner, CCDRN. The crucial resources are scheduled to be distributed within the week to meet the urgent needs of the affected households.

The support from SCI is a significant boost to the ongoing resource mobilization drive and is expected to substantially stimulate the recovery process for the flood victims. The response builds on previous aid efforts, which included both cash, food, and NFIs that have been distributed in Nguru and other LGAs over the past two months.

This underscored the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability in the distribution of aid. Therefore, SEMA has been directed to strengthen validation processes to prevent any duplication and ensure that all victims receive the support they need without any shortchanging.

As more support initiatives are underway, the collaboration between Yobe, SEMA and SCI exemplifies the coordinated efforts needed to facilitate a swift and effective recovery for the flood-affected communities in Yobe State.

Mohammed Goje, executive secretary, SEMA, expressed gratitude to Nangere stakeholders for their cooperation and support in ensuring that no beneficiary is shortchanged and that the most vulnerable are prioritized. He assured that more support is forthcoming, stating that the governor is mobilizing additional resources to support the flood victims.

He explained that early warning system mechanism was activated across LGAs forecasted that would experience floods, which helped them mitigate the effect of the flooding.

“In terms of response, our teams and stakeholders were carry along, we initiated first people driven approach, in terms of evacuation, in terms of supporting them with livelihood items, depending on the severity and depending on the location. We also supported them with basic services to access the health services.

“We supported the bills across boards then in terms of the cash assistance, first, the Yobe State government released fund supported LGAs, depending on worst-hit. We helped them to get access to temporary shelters in their villages, while the government is making effort for the recovery process and thereafter, the governor approved N50,000 each for over 25,000 households, to be distributed across the 17 LGs and the communities that were displaed.

“We are trying to make sure that the fund goes the identified victims, to avoid disenfranchisement and also we may want to make sure that it is done through recognized bank accounts where necessary, there will be cards, there will feedback mechanism. They will also be a communication channel where people will share their complaints and feedback on the disbursement.

“Additionally, we went further to reach out to our partners who are operating in the state to key into the government priority. Save the Children International has also supported. Also, other organizations like IOM, through the implementing partners, have also supported. Some use the cash assistance to rent temporary shelters. Some they use to it repair their houses to go back, while we also wait for our sister agency, like NEMA, to complement the existing government efforts in terms of shelter kits and other materials that will also aid the recovery of the flood victims,” Goje said.