THE current flood disaster in some states in the middle belt region of the country is lamentable for its huge human and property casualty, particularly as it was largely occasioned by natural causes. There is little doubt however that slow official response to warning signals, over many years, contributed immensely to the devastation. The danger is far from being averted, going by the flood alert by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to states bordering the Rivers Niger-Benue route to evacuate residents from the flood plains in order to forestall possible flood disaster. The alert will be useful only if the states concerned heed the warning in practical terms. It is unfortunate that ravaging floods had already claimed scores of lives and destroyed valuable properties in parts of Adamawa, Benue and Taraba states before NEMA issued the warning. Such alert could have saved people's lives. NEMA needs to work closely with the Nigeria Meteorological Service (NIMET), to monitor potentially disastrous environmental phenomena and alert the public on time. Early warning is critical to averting such disasters.The NEMA alert followed the unusually high water level in the reservoirs of the Kainji and Jebba dams on the River Niger due to heavy rainfall. Reports say the dams attained their highest water levels in 29 years, unprecedented in the history of the two hydro-power stations. The development posed high risk of imminent flooding in the downstream areas of the river. It was, therefore, timely to alert thousands of farming and fishing communities residing on the flood plains of the river to avert possible disaster. The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Anambra, Kebbi and Delta.Sadly enough, floods had already swept through large swaths of Adamawa and Taraba states and wrecked havoc to lives and properties. The exact death toll is unknown but reports say more than 63 people were killed in Adamawa and Benue states, with corpses being recovered daily in the states. Large hectares of rice and maize farms and livestock were destroyed. Over 8,000 people who were displaced were reportedly quartered in schools, churches and mosques. In many areas, houses and farms were submerged.The flooding is blamed on the opening of a dam in northern Cameroun. Heavy rainfall that lasted nearly a month reportedly fractured the Lagdo Dam on the upper reaches of the Benue River thereby causing it to burst and flood the surrounding communities. The flood was more devastating in northern Cameroun, where as many as 4,000 residents in the Logone and Shari division were reportedly displaced, in addition to 22, 000 people in the Maga, Mayo-Danay division who were also affected. It was the climax of 30 years of failure by the Nigerian and Camerounian authorities to holistically address the recurrent annual floods from the dam.Since the floods recur almost on annual basis, it was incumbent on the Nigerian authorities to monitor the dam, especially, during the rainy season, for possible overflow of water. Such a step could have alerted the ravaged states to evacuate people and reduce damage. But this was not done and the floods came unexpectedly and swept the villagers and their farms. It is inexcusable that such predictable disasters occur and people are caught unawares while the relevant government agencies remain lukewarm. Lack of preparedness is the bane of disaster management in Nigeria.The affected states should take the NEMA alert seriously and act accordingly. Evacuating people and creating resettlement centres should be uppermost in government's action to ameliorate the level of casualty and damage. Although natural disasters often do not warn before striking, close monitoring and adequate planning are essential in mitigating their ugly effects. Government agencies at both the federal and state levels have responsibility to monitor, predict and alert people on imminent disasters. While NEMA operates at the federal level, the emergency management agencies of the states seem to be non-existent on this incident. Ideally, they should all collaborate and share critical information for efficient monitoring and management of disasters.Similarly, collaboration between Nigeria and Cameroun is needed to mitigate the flooding impacts in the interest of their people. However, the Nigerian authorities should be more proactive if only because Nigeria is in the downstream section of the River Benue, with the result that any flood event in Cameroun is bound to affect the country adversely.It is high time that this country stepped up action on emergency preparedness; the slow response by the federal and state agencies to disasters is reprehensible. The emerging inclement weather attributed to climate change should sufficiently arouse official consciousness to prepare for possible disasters. Early warning is crucial and can be effective upon monitoring and observation. There is also need to build protective embankments in the vulnerable areas to curtail flooding from the dam.The human and medical challenges being reported in the resettlement centres should come as no surprise, in view of their impromptu establishment, and the huge number of people involved. It should be the priority of the governments, with assistance from humanitarian bodies and the private sector, to provide adequate food, drugs, water and other essentials to prevent the outbreak of epidemic. Public enlightenment to educate people on measures to mitigate the impacts of the floods remains paramount.
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