By Nkechi Eze
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has intensified its response to recent flooding in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with the delivery of relief materials to support affected residents.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, activated a technical team led by the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman, to assess the situation and strengthen ongoing efforts to assist communities affected by the flooding.
The team, upon arrival in Port Harcourt, inspected some of the affected areas to assess the extent of the impact 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 to complement the efforts of the Rivers State Government and other stakeholders involved in the emergency response.
Usman explained that the relief materials were provided by the Federal Government through NEMA to complement the state government’s efforts to alleviate the hardship experienced by residents affected by the disaster.
Receiving the NEMA delegation on behalf of the Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, appreciated the agency for what she described as timely intervention and support to the state.
Odu 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 NEMA warehouse in Port Harcourt.
The NEMA team included the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr Abbani Imam Garki; Acting Director, NEMA South-South Directorate, Mr Eric Ebhodaghe; and Head of NEMA Port Harcourt Operations Office, Mr Chidi Ogundu.
The intervention is part of NEMA’s ongoing collaboration with state governments and other stakeholders to strengthen coordinated disaster response and provide timely humanitarian assistance to communities affected by emergencies.
