Flood: NEMA Tasks Benue on Early Warning, Evacuation, Emergency Response

The National Emergency Management Agency has urged the Benue State Government to strengthen flood preparedness and improve coordination of early warning, evacuation and emergency response as heavy rainfall continues across the state.

NEMA Director-General, Zubaida Umar, represented by the Director of Search and Rescue, Usman Bature, gave the advice during a full-scale flood response simulation exercise in Makurdi.

Umar said Benue remained highly vulnerable to flooding because of its topography, extensive river systems and floodplains, seasonal rainfall, and settlements located along the River Benue and its tributaries.

She said the 2026 flood outlook underscored the need for sustained preparedness, effective early warning systems, coordinated response and timely evacuation of residents in vulnerable communities.

According to her, the simulation was designed to test how quickly emergency authorities could move from receiving early warnings to community action, evacuation, rescue operations and coordinated state and federal responses.

She said the exercise would also help identify weaknesses in plans, communication systems, logistics, evacuation arrangements and inter-agency coordination before an actual emergency occurs.

The agency stressed that early warning information must translate into timely action at the community level, with response progressively escalating through Local Emergency Management Committees, the State Emergency Management Agency and, where necessary, NEMA.

The exercise, code-named Uwar Uma, meaning “Saving Lives” in Tiv, involved NEMA, the Benue State Government and several emergency management and security agencies.

Participants included the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, police, civil defence, fire services, road safety authorities, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, National Inland Waterways Authority and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

International partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Bank, also supported the exercise.

Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by his deputy, Sam Ode, said the state’s location along the River Benue exposed many communities to recurring floods.

He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to working with NEMA and other stakeholders to strengthen disaster preparedness, risk reduction, search and rescue, evacuation and emergency response.

The agency also urged residents in flood-prone communities to monitor official alerts, familiarise themselves with evacuation routes and move to safer locations when instructed.

Preparedness remains essential nationwide.