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NEMA begins flood simulation exercise in Benue to strengthen disaster response – EnviroNews
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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has commenced a full-scale simulation exercise to strengthen preparedness and response to flood disasters.
The three-day exercise, code-named “Uwar Uma”, meaning “Saving Lives” in Tiv, is aimed at testing early warning, evacuation, search and rescue, emergency communication and inter-agency coordination mechanisms
Mr. Sulieman Mohammed, Acting Zonal Director, North Central, NEMA, said at the training and orientation programme in Makurdi on Tuesday.
According to him, the exercise will test stakeholders’ ability to translate early-warning information into timely action.
Mohammed said Benue’s extensive river systems, floodplains, seasonal rainfall and settlements around the River Benue and its tributaries made proactive preparedness critical.
He said the exercise would also assess how communities, local emergency management committees and state and federal agencies activate response mechanisms as emergencies escalate.
He added that the purpose of the simulation was not to demonstrate perfection but to identify gaps in plans, communication systems, logistics, evacuation arrangements and inter-agency coordination.
Mrs. Mimi Iyonov, Special Adviser to Gov. Hyacinth Alia on Disaster Management, said flooding remained one of the state’s major disaster risks, requiring continuous preparedness.
Iyonov, who represented the governor, said the exercise would provide an opportunity to test the state’s early-warning, evacuation, search-and-rescue, humanitarian response and recovery mechanisms.
She described disaster management as a shared responsibility requiring collaboration among government agencies, security organisations, humanitarian partners, traditional and community leaders and affected communities.
Dr. Sunday Amama, National Project Management and Coordination Specialist for Nigeria, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the exercise was supported by the World Bank and UNDP under the UNDP Sahel Resilience Project for Nigeria.
Amama said the initiative would strengthen disaster preparedness, institutional coordination and emergency response mechanisms while generating lessons that could be translated into real-life action during flood emergencies.
He commended NEMA for its leadership and technical support, assuring that UNDP remained committed to strengthening disaster resilience through technical assistance, capacity development, policy support and strategic partnerships.
Earlier, Mr. Atii Samuel, Head of Administration, Benue-SEMA, who represented the Executive Secretary, Mr. James Iorpuu, said the workshop was aimed at strengthening preparedness and testing response mechanisms.
He appreciated NEMA, the World Bank, UNDP, development partners, security agencies, facilitators and other stakeholders for supporting Benue’s disaster risk reduction efforts.
The exercise, which holds from Sept. 15 to 17, brings together government ministries, departments and agencies; security and response agencies; humanitarian organisations; Local Emergency Management Committees; and other stakeholders.
Participants are expected to apply lessons from the training during the field simulation and subsequently document them through a hot wash and after-action review.
