Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has stepped up its response to recent flooding in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, deploying a technical team to assess the situation and deliver relief materials to affected residents.
The intervention followed the activation of a technical team by NEMA Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, led by the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman, to strengthen ongoing response operations and provide immediate support to communities affected by the flooding.
On arrival in Port Harcourt, the team inspected some of the affected locations to assess the extent of the situation before delivering relief items approved by the agency for the affected persons.
Presenting the relief materials to the Rivers State Government during a courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, Usman conveyed the concern and sympathy of the NEMA Director-General to the government and people of the state over the impact of the flooding.
He said the team was deployed to provide technical and coordination support while complementing the ongoing efforts of the Rivers State Government and other stakeholders involved in the emergency response.
The NEMA delegation included the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr Abbani Imam Garki; Acting Director, NEMA South-South Directorate, Mr Eric Ebhodaghe; and the Head of NEMA Port Harcourt Operations Office, Mr Chidi Ogundu.
Usman explained that the relief materials were provided by the Federal Government through NEMA to complement the Rivers State Government’s efforts to alleviate the hardship faced by persons affected by the flooding.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, expressed appreciation to NEMA for what she described as its timely intervention and support.
She assured that the relief materials would be judiciously distributed to ensure that they reached the intended beneficiaries.
The materials were subsequently handed over to the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr Inyingi Brown, who inspected the items at the designated warehouse in Port Harcourt.
The intervention forms part of NEMA’s ongoing collaboration with state governments and other stakeholders to strengthen coordinated disaster response and ensure timely humanitarian assistance to communities affected by emergencies.
The agency said such collaboration remained critical to reducing the impact of disasters and supporting affected communities during periods of crisis.
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