Flooding has affected 673,350 people across 134 local government areas in 28 states, displacing 214,997 and killing 245 as of October 20, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said.
NEMA Director-General Zubaida Umar disclosed this at the National Emergency Coordination Forum in Abuja on Thursday.
Umar, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Godwin Tepkor, said Nigeria was facing interconnected challenges involving flooding, cholera and Ebola.
She said the forum was convened to strengthen coordination as early warning forecasts from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) materialised across the country.
“The situation before us demands urgent attention.
“Flooding remains a significant threat with the potential to cause loss of lives, displacement and destruction of infrastructure,” she said.
According to Umar, children account for 38 per cent of those affected, while women make up 31 per cent. She added that 3,191 persons with disabilities were among the affected population.
Akwa Ibom accounts for 29 per cent of the affected population, while the North-West accounts for 57 per cent of affected persons by geopolitical zone.
Umar said the connection between flooding and cholera was particularly concerning because of exposure to contaminated water and poor sanitation in displaced communities.
Presenting the flood update, NEMA Deputy Director of Search and Rescue and Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Lydia Madu, said forecasts had predicted flooding in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Madu said 14,118 communities in 266 local government areas were identified as high-risk areas, while 15,597 communities in 405 local government areas were classified as moderate-risk areas.
She said NEMA had activated early warning dissemination, preparedness campaigns and simulation exercises in Adamawa, Cross River, Kebbi and Niger states, while also pre-positioning relief items.
According to her, 180,631 households, comprising 711,786 people, had benefited from relief interventions.
Earlier, NEMA Deputy Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Tony Ephraim, said the forum was important amid the effects of El Niño, flooding and the threats posed by cholera and Ebola.
Ephraim said the forum brought together emergency sector leads, ministries, departments and agencies, the armed forces and humanitarian partners to share information and agree on practical actions to support vulnerable groups.
He added that NEMA would sustain preparedness, early warning and coordination with partners to ensure timely, evidence-based and people-centred responses across the country.
