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Red Cross solicits govt, stakeholders support for floods, emergencies

Red Cross solicits govt, stakeholders support for floods, emergencies

By Talatu Maiwada
Support
Abuja, Aug. 27, 2019 (NAN) The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has called on government at all levels, corporate organisations and individuals to support the preparedness of 2019 floods ravaging several communities in the country.
Mr Abubakar Kende, the Secretary General of the organisation, made the appeal at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Kende said reports from various branches of NRCS have shown that 25 states have been affected by flood damaging lives, properties, critical infrastructures and economic livelihood as at second week of August.
“The NRCS record shows that a total of 270 communities in 108 local government areas have experienced floods with severe effects on 405,284 people.
“199,297 have been displaced, 75 people lost their lives with 414 people hospitalised and three missing nationwide.
“We solicit government support to help mitigate and respond to current and future emergencies especially the 2019 floods ravaging our communities.
“We also implore the military and relevant stakeholders to roll out some of their national assets and expertise by deploying Bailey bridges that are portable, collapsible, pre-fabricated and truss bridges.
“This will enable affected communities cut off from their economic activities and social wellbeing to reunite with their loved ones and return to their livelihoods to prevent food insecurity as most communities affected are agrarian,’’ Kende said.
He added that the support would definitely impact positively on the communities affected as tens of bridges and converts nationwide have already been washed away and cut off by the rampaging flood water.
Kende stressed that it was important that Nigerians and corporate organisations are encouraged to support NRCS and relevant agencies in times of emergencies by supporting through financial and material support as their corporate social responsibilities.
He however advised people living on flood plains to consider relocating to safer places in line with government policies and technical advice from NRCS and relevant organisations.
He also urged media organisations to go beyond reporting damages, injuries and deaths, but to highlight and emphasise humanitarian needs, sufferings as well as how to prevent and reduce the effect of disaster on citizens.
Kende said that the NRCS has closed its 2018 flood response operations launched in July 2018 through June 2019, recalling that the society was the first to respond to flood disaster affected by 22 states in the country.
According to him, this was made possible due to “our high network of trained community based staff, volunteers as well as local and international partnerships and surge support’’.
“We were able to provide humanitarian support to the 2018 flood affected population with financial, material and technical support from the NRCS, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, among others.
“The support has helped to cushion the immediate and long term effects of the affected people of 2018 floods in Nigeria,’’ Kende said. (NAN)
TIM/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

WHO trains journalists on health reporting during emergencies

WHO trains journalists in North East on health reporting during emergencies
By Yakubu Uba
Media
Yola, May 14, 2019 (NAN) The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is training journalists in North East region on effective health reporting during emergencies.
Declaring the two-day training workshop open in Yola, the Adamawa Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Atiku, urged journalists to do more on public health reporting, particularly in area of prevention.
Atiku said the media as key partner on enlightenment needed to be proactive in educating the public on the effective role of hygiene and sanitation in checking outbreaks and spread of epidemics.
The WHO Coordinator in Adamawa, Dr Iyobosa Igbinovia, said the regular training for journalists by WHO was based on its appreciation of the role media could play in emergencies when it passes the right messages.
He urged participants to make maximum use of the training to be provided them by experts for maximum benefit of the larger population.
Also speaking, the WHO Health Emergencies Communication Officer in North East, Dr Chima Onuekwe, said the training which has been an annual event was to reiterate the importance of covering emergencies from public health point of view.
“It is also to review how far we have gone in achieving our set goals in public health reporting and how we are covering health emergencies in the North East from public health point of view,” Onuekwe said.
Some of the presentations made at the opening ceremony included “Overview of WHO Public Health Emergencies Programmes in North East’’ and “Basic Facts on Disease of Public Health importance in Emergencies with emphasis on North East”. (NAN)
YMU/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

NEMA seeks adequate funding, equipment for swift response to disasters

Emergency

Lokoja, March 28, 2019 (NAN) The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is asking for adequate funding and equipment from stakeholders to enable it to carry out swift intervention and response to disasters in the country.

The Managing Director of the agency, Dr Mustapha Maihaja, made the demand in Lokoja on Thursday while speaking at the 2019 first stakeholders meeting.

Maihaja also called for the equipping of the agency with adequate personnel, tools, and comprehensive operational plans ahead of disasters.

According to him, the measures are necessary to reduce harm and mitigate the consequences of disasters when they strike.

The director-general, who was represented by Mr Bitrus Samuel, NEMA’s Head of Abuja Operations Office, said that the meeting was called to appraise the capacity and readiness of state institutions to respond to emergencies .

“NEMA routinely organises stakeholders meeting to’, among many other things, appraise preparedness and response capabilities of organisations with a view to forestalling emergencies as well as evaluating operational plans and strategies,” he said.

Maihaja stated that disaster management requires concerted efforts of all stakeholders to achieve meaningful and adequate response.

He also stressed the need for stakeholders to meet regularly to identify weaknesses in capabilities in order to work together to close gaps and augment appropriately .

In his remarks, Mr Yusuf Omateno, the Executive Secretary, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA), said that the essence of the meeting was to make stakeholders aware of the need to take preemptive measures against any form of disaster.

He said that the state, being the gateway to the North and South, was vulnerable to emergencies.

According to him, that situation has made it imperative for government to be prepared always.

Omateno said that going by the prediction of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency,  the state might not experience flood this year.

He, however, said that government could not afford to take things for granted.

He said that epidemics, road accidents, water mishaps, air pollution, and windstorms were prevalent in the state.

The executive secretary expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and NEMA for the assistance rendered to the state during the 2018 flood that destroyed parts of the state. (NAN)
KKA /YEE
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Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Health

Plateau Govt to develop strategic policies for health emergencies

Plateau Govt to develop strategic policies for health emergencies
By Blessing Odega
Lassa fever
Jos, Feb. 20, 2019 (NAN) The Plateau Government has pledged to develop more strategic management policies to tackle public health emergencies.
Dr Kuden Deyin, the state Commissioner for Health, disclosed this at the unveiling of members of the committee for Public Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in Jos.
Deyin said the committee was established primarily to tackle the fatality rates caused by Lassa fever and other disease outbreaks in the state.
He explained that the centre would have in place all the necessary facilities to contain disease ‎outbreaks.
Deyin said ‎the centre would be responsible for the strategic management of public health emergencies across the state.
He further said the core functions of the centre include coordination, command, communication, information management, personnel and resource allocation and tracking.
“EOCs are a powerful tool for enabling response to emergencies, whether caused by natural disasters or disease outbreaks.
“There is a body of knowledge that exists around EOC operations which is tailored to the challenges to which they will have to respond.
“A hidden strength of the EOC is that it requires you to plan, so an EOC serves not only as a mechanism for communication and decision making in the event of a health crisis.
“It is also as a venue to develop, validate and improve existing plans, and train personnel in response through scenario based workshops and actual response to situations,’’ he said.
He said the centre would be able to detect early warning in outbreak of Lassa fever and this would help in prompt treatment.
He therefore urged the committee members to be proactive in the discharge of their duties.
Mr Gonen Lakda, the state Director of Public Health and the Incident Manager of the centre, expressed delight in the trust reposed in the committee members to carry out the task safeguarding lives of the people.
Responding on behalf of the committee, Lakda assured of their commitment in the discharge of their duties.
He said the centre would undoubtedly add to the quality of healthcare delivery in the state. (NAN)
UBO/OMO/MST
Edited by Martins Odeh/Muhammad Suleiman Tola