By Miriam Humbe
Following the recent flood incidents that affected parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubaida Umar, activated a technical team led by the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Bature Usman, to strengthen ongoing response efforts and support persons affected by the disaster.
The team, on arrival in Port Harcourt, inspected some of the affected areas to assess the situation and subsequently delivered relief items approved by NEMA to provide immediate succour to the affected persons.
Presenting the relief items to the Rivers State Government during a courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, Air Commodore Bature Usman conveyed the concern and sympathy of the Director General of NEMA to the government and people of the state over the impact of the flooding.
He explained that the team was deployed to provide the necessary coordination and technical support to complement ongoing response efforts by the Rivers State Government and other relevant stakeholders.
The NEMA team comprised 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.
Air Commodore Bature Usman said the relief items were provided by the Federal Government through NEMA to complement the efforts of the Rivers State Government in alleviating the condition of the affected persons.
Receiving the NEMA team on behalf of the Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, expressed appreciation to NEMA for the timely intervention and support to the state.
She assured that the relief items would be judiciously distributed to the affected persons to ensure that the intervention reached the intended beneficiaries.
The relief materials were subsequently handed over to the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr Inyingi Brown, who inspected the items at the warehouse in Port Harcourt.
The intervention forms part of NEMA’s continued collaboration with State Governments and other stakeholders to strengthen coordinated response and provide timely humanitarian assistance to communities affected by disasters.
