From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Food crisis looms in some parts of Kogi State like Lokoja and Kabba Local Government Areas as floods submerged farmlands.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which conducted a joint rapid assessment of the recent flood incidents, said no life was lost but residential buildings were also severely affected.
The Director General, Zubaida Umar, in a statement, yesterday, said on receiving reports of the incident, the agency activated its operations office, which covers Kogi State and directed the prompt deployment of a response team to carry out the assessment in the affected communities.
Umar said the team was led by Zakari Abubakar, who is the Head of Abuja Operations Office and arrived in Lokoja and held a pre-assessment briefing with the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA) and other relevant stakeholders.
According to her, the joint team also paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor, Joel Salifu, before proceeding to the affected communities in Kabba and Lokoja LGAs for on-the-spot assessments.
“Preliminary findings from the assessment revealed that, although no life was lost, the flood caused damage to several residential buildings and displaced numerous households.
“Some farmlands were also submerged, leading to the loss of crops and livelihoods.
“The joint assessment team comprised representatives from NEMA, KOSEMA, the Kogi State Fire Service, the Executive Chairman of Kabba LGA, Local Government officials, traditional rulers, and youth representatives,” she said.
She reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to support the Kogi State Government and collaborate with all relevant partners to mitigate the impact of the disaster and provide timely assistance to the affected populations.