CR-SEMA DG Tasks FG To Build Dams, Flood Proof Buildings To Tackle Flood Menace
By Victor UDU
The Director General, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, Chief Mrs Angela Ogeyi Odey has tasked the Federal Government to build dams and flood proof buildings to tackle flood menace in the state.
Chief Mrs Odey who was speaking at the commencement of Emergency Response Training for Flood Disaster in Cross River State, facilitated by SEMA in Calabar at the garden street office of the Red Cross said such a step would enable quick and decisive action against flooding.
The DG said the training was in tandem with government plan to address poverty and disease in the land and also shield its citizens from the harzards of emergencies like flood, fire and others that threathen their livelihood.
She said the training is intended to equipt volunteers with necessary skills and know-how to handle challenges faced by those at risk.
Chief Mrs Odey who said the techniques acquired from the training would help volunteers in both public and private lives called on participants to embrace the knowledge so acquired to be able to train and teach others too.
She intimated the volunteers that skills learnt would be useful in handling emergencies in other areas and not limited to flood alone.
She said government was proposing to use temporary IDP camps, boats and sea rafts to accommodate and evacuate those at risk.
The SEMA boss disclosed that relief materials have started arriving already while more are being expected showing that government commitment towards handling emergencies in what ever magnitude is untainted.
She stated that the state was preparing for all the 18 LGAs to forestall a situation where the flood covers more than the 11 Council areas originally named as risk areas.
Chief Odey informed them that arrangements were being made to take the training to the central and northern senatorial districts and charged those that would handle the training in these locations to get themselves prepared for the exercise.
The DG told the volunteers that all that they may require for the exercise including first aid kits, materials and other tools would be given them to enhance their duties.
She advised residents in the vulnerable areas to vacate their homes, harvest their crops and remove vital documents like certificates early enough to safe places to avoid losing all to the flood and told volunteers to regard themselves as SEMA representatives and the face of palliatives acknowledging that there's joy , satisfaction and reward in offering service.
The DG maintaind that the government of Senator Bassey Otu would live no stone unturned to ensure that the exercise is successful and no soul is lost during the flood.
Deacon N. Arikpo from Biase who attended the training praised the DG of SEMA for being proactive in putting together a training of this magnitude observing that the state has been having incidents of flooding before but has never made this level of preparations.
He said the proactive and pragmatic leadership style of the new SEMA DG has made possible the training which has afforded them the opportunity to get information and indept knowledge and noted that the training was timely.
On her part ,Akon Nsa Ekpenyong thanked government for the experience and for giving the state a better hand by the appointment of Chief Mrs Angela Ogeyi Odey to handle SEMA.
She said the training was rewarding as they have been adequately prepared to handle tasks like the rescue of a drowning persons easily.
Resource persons from the Red Cross namely, Agbor Okim, Training Officer, Daniel Asuquo, Disaster Manager were on hand to handle various trainings on water safety, water Competency, search and rescue and Basic life support.
The training is billed to continue next week and shall take place in the south,central and northern senatorial districts simultaneously.
