The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced the distribution of relief materials to flood victims  in Kwara.

Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, represented by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, inaugurated the distribution of the relief materials  on Sunday.

NEMA director-general Mustapha Ahmed, said the federal government approved the intervention for people affected by the 2022 flood disasters and those classified as the most vulnerable persons across the country.

Mr Ahmed, represented by Ephraim Tony, NEMA head of monitoring and evaluation, said the 2022 flood disaster devastated many communities across the country.

He said in Kwara, most people in the communities were displaced and their farmlands and crops were completely washed away by the flood.

“Following the flood, search and rescue operations were successfully conducted in several locations where trapped persons were rescued and given necessary care,” Mr Ahmed explained. “Immediately after the flood incident, damage and loss assessment were conducted and relief items approved by the federal government were delivered across the states to complement initial intervention by the state government.”

Mr Ahmed said the intervention was also expected to drive the sustainable socio-economic resilience of the targeted most vulnerable individuals.

According to him, NEMA staff are deployed to conduct the verification of the beneficiaries in collaboration with personnel from SEMAs, State Agricultural Development Project and other relevant stakeholders.

He added that 660,884 households were verified and targeted to benefit from the special intervention across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NEMA boss advised the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the distributed items to improve their socio-economic conditions.

(NAN)