Emergency Planning: NiMet Stresses Importance Of Weather Forecasts To Managers

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has advised governments, emergency managers and relevant bodies to make use of weather forecasts for effective planning.

The NiMet Director of Applied Meteorological Services, Mrs Glory Onyegbule, gave the advice at a National Emergency Coordination Forum organised by the National Emergency Management Agency in Abuja on Thursday.

Onyegbule said that NIMeT, in fulfillment of its mandate, issued seasonal climate predictions for the entire country.

According to her, the agency made stakeholders, particularly emergency managers, to know what Nigeria’s climate would look like in 2024 in terms of rainfall and other climatic factors.

“In the seasonal climate prediction, we predicted onset dates of the rainy season. We also predicted deposition dates, the expected annual rainfall amount, and the length of the rainy season.

“In doing this, we also compared the impact of all these predictions to long-time averages.

“Then we saw that there were deviations, especially in areas such as the North East – places such as Maiduguri and Bauchi – and we made this available to Nigerians in time.

“Within this season, we saw that there were more deviations because weather is not really under anyone’s control, and we were issuing updates as events were occurring,” she said.

According to Onyegbule, the current heavy flooding in Borno is evidence of climate change.

She advised emergency managers to always act fast, adding that those responsible for dams should protect the integrity of the facilities.

Onyegbule said that flooding might continue to re-occur, unless enough efforts would be made early to take care of places on the flood plain.

“We should listen to weather reports and put them to use,” Onyegbule said.

The Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Trond Jensen, said that the office was working with NEMA, state emergency management agencies, the military and other stakeholders to assist people affected by flooding in Borno.

Jensen, who attended the meeting virtually from Borno, said that the organisation’s team was already in Maiduguri supporting the Nigerian Government to assist those affected by the flooding.

Jensen said that the organisation was helping to ensure that people affected by the flooding would have access to food and clean water to prevent the spread of communicable disease.

“The last thing that we are looking at is protection of the vulnerable populations.

“We have activated the humanitarian system and are working together with local authorities, state authorities, in terms of mapping the needs, where they are,” he said.

According to the official, the team also has an online tracking system in terms of what the response is, as well as tracking available emergency stocks – food and non-food items and shelter materials, among others.

“As we work in Borno State, we are also looking at the prospect of flooding in Adamawa in the next week, where we will work together with the Adamawa governor and his office to make sure that we can look at relocating people.

“With that, we can reduce the vulnerability in terms of finding alternative shelter, etc., in terms of making sure that people are prepared for potential flooding.

“For the rest of the country, of course, we are working with NEMA in terms of supporting as best as we can, in terms of getting a good gauge on where needs are,” he said.