Timely Response Crucial To Disaster Management – NEMA

Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, has said timely response remains crucial to disaster management.

Zubaida Umar said synergy between State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) would help in addressing challenges of floods across the country.

Mrs Umar said this on Wednesday at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja with state SEMAs director generals.

She said the meeting offered the agency and state stakeholders opportunity to review flood situation in the country. She added that it was an opportunity for the agency to strengthen operational readiness and response to flood incidents.

“We reviewed the flood situation across the country as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen our operational readiness and response to flood incidents.

“Timely response and rapid assessment are crucial to effective disaster management, it is against this backdrop that we activated the Emergency Operations Centre; and the Situation Room at the headquarters for flood data collection, processing, signaling and communication,” Umar said.

The NEMA DG further directed the agency’s zonal officer to collaborate with state SEMAs in propositioning rescue equipment for immediate deployment in the event of floods.

“I have also directed that our zonal offices work in synergy with all State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) in prepositioning rescue equipment for immediate deployment in the event of flood within their areas of responsibilities,” she said.