The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has cautioned residents of Rivers about impending flash floods in 13 local government areas of the state.

NEMA’s South-South zonal coordinator, Babatunde Adebiyi, raised the alarm in Port Harcourt on Thursday at a public awareness campaign on proper waste management and flood preparedness.

Mr Adebiyi listed the high-risk areas as Abua/Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Akuku Toru, Degema, Emuoha, Ikwerre, Obio Apkor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo, and Tai local government areas.

He said it was expedient for state residents to prepare for eventual flooding between now and November.

“We are here to sensitise the people of Ozuoba and surrounding communities in the Akpor area about the impending flood; we encourage you to take proactive measures to lessen the impact.

“We are doing this to enable you to be on alert and take steps towards reducing the impact of the flooding in your communities,” he said.

Mr Adebiyi stated that proper waste disposal was crucial to flood mitigation and control, saying, “Removing solid wastes from water channels will facilitate easier flow during the rainy season.

“It is also important to identify higher grounds that the people can move to when the flood comes.”

The zonal coordinator noted that two internally displaced persons camps had been established to accommodate flood victims in the area.

He said that NEMA’s sensitisation efforts were additional strategies in the agency’s flood containment programme.

In his speech, Bassey Okama, the head of disaster management at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), advised residents to act swiftly to minimise the danger and risks associated with flooding.

(NAN)