2022 Flood: Benue govt task partners on rapid response to victims

Benue State Government through its Humanitarian Agency, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) has tasked the humanitarian partners to respond rapidly to victims of flood.

The Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Shior made this known on Tuesday 4th September 2022, during the review of Stakeholders Coordination Meeting on Flood, held at Benue SEMA Headquarters in Makurdi.

Dr. Shior in a welcome address said the meeting was a follow up of the previous meeting as well as a review of the level of preparedness and support each key Stakeholders have towards responding to the victims of flood.

He clarified that the Agency has no plan of opening new camps for flood victims because there are already too many existing camps in the state, but maintained that interventions would be provided to victims in their affected communities.

Dr. Shior added that, the food items which were provided by Governor Samuel Ortom has been judiciously shared to flood victims in all the affected communities in Makurdi and Agatu. Also promised that more interventions will come from State Government and Federal Government which NEMA is set to take the lead.

He commended Governor Samuel Ortom for providing succour to victims of flood in the state and also appreciated NEMA for providing water purification machine aim at providing clean drinkable water to affected victims in Makurdi and Agatu, so as to subvert the outbreak of water borne diseases, assuring that NEMA will also extend the gesture to other affected area.

While updating stakeholders on the profiling of affected persons, he said all the communities have been captured in the last mop up exercise carried out by the Agency.

He added that the Agency has received flood report from Buruku LGA, recalling that the Agency is working closely with Local Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) for quick targeted intervention in response to humanitarian challenges.

He charged the stakeholders to fastract their interventions to support victims of flood, lauding their individual and collective efforts to the humanitarian challenges facing the state.

Responding, the stakeholders at the meeting reviewed their thematic areas of intervention including protection, health, risk sensitisation and communication, shelter and livelihoods, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), resolving to move into action in multifunctional team to affected communities to support the victims.

They were grouped into teams covering all the thematic areas as intervention commence tomorrow starting with Makurdi Local Government.

Key humanitarian stakeholders who attended the meeting included those of International and Domestic NGOs, line Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Media, security agencies, Federal Government’s Humanitarian Agencies, Benue SEMA among others.