………..Advises residents to vacate homes
Nyesom Wike, the Rivers state governor, on Thursday, asked chairmen of the 23 local government areas and other relevant agencies to take proactive approaches in alleviating the suffering of residents of communities with flood challenges.
Wike’s directive came during a meeting with the LGA chairmen, National Emergency Management Agency officials and permanent secretaries of ministries.
The governor who represented by the Secretary to the State government, Tammy Danagogo said the governor was disturbed by the level of looming flood disaster in the state.
Wike, however, added that directives is to ensure an efficient and early management of the crisis as predicted by NEMA, adding that Degema, Etche, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Obio-Akpor, Abua, Ahoada East and West, Bonny, Gokana, Oyigbo, Port Harcourt, Opobo are high and low probable areas.
According to him: “An early proactive measures are necessary to in order to minimise the emergency situations from looming the flooding. Residents and indigenes should adhere to the call to vacate when the flood begins,”.
Mr Egwu Damian, an official of NEMA, said during the mee that that early information sharing and creation of local emergency management committee structures in the LGAs is necessary in order to foster an early warning.
The NEMA official stated that part of the reasons for recurrent flooding in the state was the blockage of the waterways by some builders and the state’s location by the bank of the Atlantic Ocean.
