The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FCT-FEMA) says it rescued 1,793 people and saved about N90 million worth of properties from various disasters in 2023.

The acting director-general of FEMA, Ibrahim Sabo, disclosed this during the agency’s end-of-year media interactive session in Abuja on Wednesday.

Mr Sabo identified the major disasters as floods, fire incidents, and building collapses, recorded in 24 calls through FEMA’s emergency toll-free number, 112.

However, he said 12 lives were lost to disasters: four from floods, six from building collapses, and two from fire outbreaks.

Of the 1,793 lives saved, Mr Sabo said 1,373 were rescued from various flood disasters, 173 from five building collapses, and 247 from fire outbreaks.

“Also, as of October, we were able to save N90 million worth of properties across all types of disasters within the FCT.

“We equally provided humanitarian aid that impacted 400 households in the FCT within the year under review,” he said.

The FEMA boss further said the agency, in collaboration with its partners, has distributed food and non-food items to 8,403 beneficiaries across the six area councils of the FCT.

He listed the partners as the National Economic Livelihood Emergency Intervention, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat, and the FCT Administration.

Mr Sabo added that some food items included rice beans, maize, cassava flakes (garri), guinea corn, groundnut oil and seasoning, and yam, rice and maize seedlings.

He said the non-food items were mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, stoves, buckets, cooking pots, grinding and sewing machines. 

(NAN)