Opinion: Overcoming Another Evil Flood by Abu Mike

Never in history has there been such great number of Internally Displaced People occasioned by natural disaster in Kogi State.

The flood which ravaged the country in 2012 no doubt, shifted attention on Kogi State. The total number of displaced persons housed in 87 camps across the state were 623,690 during the period.

With the level of damage and destruction caused by the flood in 2012, many still pray that there should never be a repeat of such destruction for the state in the years to come as it would  be another disaster that is one too many for the state.

In 2012, many roads in the state became flooded and thus, impassable. Many school buildings became refugee camps. Houses were submerged. Properties and infrastructures were badly affected. Farm lands, crops and animals were washed away.

That year’s damage which was estimated to run into billions of naira is one disaster that the people and the State Government would still struggle to come to terms with considering the monumental destruction it caused.
The 2012 flood swept through Kogi State affecting nine of its twenty-one local government areas.

NIMET it would be recalled, had issued an early warning in 2012 that there would be flooding in some states of the federation including Kogi State. The warning was meant to keep people on their toes, not necessarily to avert the impending disaster but the intention was to mitigate the effect of the flooding.

Not a few people across flood-pruned states of the country really showed any concern about the warning. Not even reports of disasters occasioned by flood in other climes would make them give any serious thought to the warning.

For all they cared, even if the flood will come, it was not something to develop goose pimples about. Nothing seems to ever catch Nigerians unawares. Our fire-brigade approach to issues could even make the devil green with envy. Should the flood come, it would be handled, many said to themselves.

So, people folded their arms waiting for the prediction to come to past. There were those who did not believe the prediction because they had once been told how God regretted destroying the world with water and promised never to use the same means to bring the world to an end. On the basis of this, they did not believe that the prediction and even if at all there would be flood, the magnitude, in their opinion is exaggerated.

Just like it happened in 2012, many people have gone to sleep amidst the new prediction that some states would experience flooding this year. But the good news however is that the Kogi State government has not taken the warning lightly, as it has promptly constituted a committee headed by the state Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba, who is the chairman, governing board of the State emergency management agency, working round the clock to ensure that the impact of the flood is not felt in the state.

It is gladdening to note that the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, under the Deputy’s Governor’s watch has also been empowered to sensitise the people on how best to avert the disaster that would come with the fury of water.

But for the deaf ears paid by people, the level of casualty in the 2012 flood would have significantly reduced the effect of the disaster on the people.

Many roads in the state became flooded and thus, impassable. An alternative road had to be provided to ease movement on the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja road which was completely taken over by water.

The 2012 flood may have come and gone but the sad memories are still visible in the affected areas years after. For instance, the people of Ibaji whose farmlands were washed away are yet to recover from that bitter experience. What compounded their problem was the fact that their seedlings were not spared by the flood then.

The nine local government areas affected by 2012 flood in the state was majorly caused by the release of water from Kanji Dam. This was responsible for the flood in eight of the nine local government areas. While the ninth affected local government; Omala derived it flood from the release of water from Lagbo Dam in Cameron.

Given the fact that there are fresh predictions that there would be a repeat of the situation this year, the State Deputy Governor Simon Achuba working tirelessly with the flood prune local government area Administrators, based on the instruction of the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, must work towards ensuring that the State is not caught unawares this year. Without mincing words, some pro-active steps are already being taken by government. Even at that, it is expected that the citizens must also take necessary steps that would mitigate the effect of flood. After all,  once beaten, twice shy is a popular saying that should make a lot of sense to those who were victims in 2012.

The state government, following the last experience, should set up a number of relief camps. It was estimated that about one million people were affected by the 2012 flood and of this figure, 600,000 were sheltered in the various relief camps.

The government, as part of a proactive measure, should create an alternative east and west route to avoid the sufferings encountered by commuters during the last flood.

The government should also take steps to mitigate the effect of the flood on farmers by ensuring food security. The government should step up its effort in the area of dry season farming to make up for the huge farmland that is usually lost to flood yearly.

More than anything else, the state government should be pre-occupied with how to reduce the impact of flood as predicted this year by NIMET through massive post flood and Pre-disaster early warning, signs, campaign as well as commence comprehensive training of SEMA STAFF for rescue operations.

Also, the government should charge the people of the state, especially those in flood pruned areas to clean and clear up drainages around them.

The State office of the National Orientation Agency should hold workshop for Media practitioners and Community Mobilisation Officers on how to effectively sensitise the citizenry to mitigate the effect of flood as predicted this year.
The 2012 flood, if anything, has once again confirmed that global warming is here with us. It is not an issue only for the developed nations of the world. Prior to this time, many people erroneously believe that flood disasters of significant magnitude are not for our clime. The events of 2102 and subsequent years must have proved these assumptions wrong.

Meteorologist said the hurricanes that usually make landfalls along the east coast of the US and the Caribbean’s have been always suspected to originate from West Africa. In other word, Africa and of course, Nigeria is as susceptible to flood as other countries of the world warning that since the food basket in West Africa is centred in rural environment and settlements, disasters of this or higher scales may become threat to food security.

They expressed the view that early warning could reasonably mitigate the effect of flood disasters on the people. They also said that if Hurricane Alberto was relatively peaceful, others may not be as peaceful.

Hurricane Katrina for example was not peaceful but the level of appreciation of Early Warning System and the corresponding mitigating strategies reduced the level of causalities and fatality. In the absence of Early Warning causalities and fatality may be maximum”. they disclosed

For now, with the early warnings for another flooding. The question is, how prepared is the government and the people,towards ensuring that the repeat of the 2012 disaster is averted.