The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), says it responded to 82 flood cases, saved 421 lives and property worth more than N102 million in 2020.
Director-General (D-G) of the agency, Alhaji Abbas Idris, made this known at the 2021 “Flood Outlook and Review of FCT Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP)’’ on Wednesday in Abuja.
Idris also said that during the period, the Search and Rescue Teams of FEMA responded to 53 road accidents and saved 89 lives and property worth more than N36 million.
He further said that the agency responded to 584 emergency calls on fire outbreaks of which 2,029 lives were saved.
The director-general said that 15 lives were lost and property worth more than one billion naira were salvaged in the incidents.
Similarly, he said that the agency received 40 calls on psycho-social issues from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlements in which no life was lost.
“In summary, the Search and Rescue Team received and responded to a total of 768 distress calls out of which 27 were false alarm.
“On the same course, the FCT experienced two building collapse in which three lives were lost, 34 lives rescued, while property worth more than N84 million were salvaged.
“Also in 2020, the agency responded to two cases of electrocution. This was as a result of tree branches coming in contact with power lines,’’ he said.
Idris appealed to the Department of Parks and Recreation to intensify its monitoring activities to ensure that trees close to power lines were pruned to avoid loss of lives.
He said the flood outlook was aimed at strategising in terms of prevention, mitigation and response to flood prediction released by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency.
Idris said that it also provided opportunity to update and strengthen the emergency preparedness and response plan which clearly spells out specific roles for all actors in emergency in the FCT.
“You will agree with me that as at the time of our last review meeting in 2017, issues such as kidnappings, banditry, earth tremor and other emerging threats were not so challenging in terms of complexity and frequency of occurrence.
“Today, these emerging and complex disaster challenges have made the review of our disaster response plan a necessity, hence, the need to organise this event,’’ Idris said.
Mr Clement Nze, the Director-General, National Hydrological Services Agency, commended FEMA for the proactive measures to mitigate disaster in FCT.
Representatives of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services and the DSS attended the event.
(NAN)
