In order to reduce the effects of climate-related crises in the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) organized a two-day technical expert meeting on Climate-Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategies to this end.
The workshop event which began today 17th April and will end on the 18th was held at the Rockview Hotel in Abuja. Notable dignitaries and related agencies were also present at the event, most of which gave a goodwill message on the theme of the gathering.
Dr. Onimode A. Bandele, the Director of planning, Research, and Forecasting at NEMA welcomed the participants and stakeholders of the workshop and highlighted the essence of the two-day workshop which is to analyze the 2024 SCP and AFO to come up with strategies to carry out preparedness and mitigative actions to safeguard life, property, and livelihood.
“The strategies will be used by all stakeholders in the disaster management circle”, he added.
The Director General of the Nationa Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar in her speech declared the workshop to be the first step in making sure that informed parties come together to discuss and devise effective plans to steer Nigeria’s climate intervention procedures.
Mrs. Umar stated that expertise from various fields such as agriculture, health, water resources, and infrastructure have been brought together to brainstorm to come up with actionable climate-related disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.
She noted that having this expertise present at the meeting would help in anticipating and responding to the anticipated effects of the anticipated climate threats.
“This would assist in preparing for and responding to the expected impact of the predicted climate hazards”, she said.
In her remark, she underscored the importance of “disseminating and communicating timely and credible early warning information to enable communities and institutions to anticipate and prepare for disasters by implementing anticipatory action before they occur”.
Mrs. Umar further added that the workshop is a continuation of the NEMA’s planned activities since the release of the 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) by the Nigeria Metrological Service Agency (NiMet) and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) released yesterday by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).
Speaking with Landslidenews, Dr. Onimode A. Bandele that in regards to the Annual Flood Outlook, it was released to create awareness of the pattern and behaviour of flooding that may occur in 2024.
He stated that the SCP and AFO would not take out the happening of these disasters, but for the agencies that are responsible for managing the crises to know the right measures and steps to take.
“It is also a guide for the public on actions to take to avert the negative impact of these hazards’, he added.
