One person has been confirmed dead, and over 300 farmlands and crops have been devastated by heavy floods in the Nasarawa, Kokona, and Doma Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.
The Director General of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, Benjamin Akwash, made the announcement during a news briefing in Lafia on Saturday following an assessment of the affected areas.
Akwash stated that the agency had been conducting sensitisation efforts in flood-prone localities, as well as engaging stakeholders on the importance of taking safety precautions and heeding weather forecasts issued by appropriate authorities.
He did, however, voice concern that many individuals in high-risk locations were hesitant to migrate despite repeated warnings.
“People are finding it difficult to move to safer grounds. They prefer to remain on their ancestral lands despite repeated alerts from authorities. This is unacceptable. We cannot continue to play laxity with human lives; there must be a way out,” he said.
Akwash indicated that the state administration has been working on long-term flood prevention techniques to reduce the annual disasters, rather than focusing primarily on post-disaster rescue activities.
He further stated that a thorough evaluation of the devastation is currently underway in the Nasarawa, Kokona, and Doma Local Government Areas, where the calamity wrecked hundreds of hectares of crops and killed one person.
“This is a major setback in our drive to achieve food security and sufficiency. Preliminary reports show that more than 300 farmlands with crops have been completely washed away,” he added.
The NASEMA Director General also stated that the state administration has finalised arrangements to send food and non-food relief supplies to flood victims and other disaster-affected communities.
He did, however, warn inhabitants in riverine areas, notably those in the five most susceptible Local Government Areas of Doma, Nasarawa, Toto, Awe, and Kokona, to evacuate to safer areas to preserve their lives and property as the rainy season intensifies.
