…Says plane crashes, collapse of bridges likely
The National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA) has issued an early warning alert on likely floods in several local government areas in Nigeria.
The Director-General of NEMA, Ahmed Habib disclosed this in Abuja yesterday, at the 2021 Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, (NIHSA).
The prediction, according to the agency, is due to the volume of rainfall witnessed in some parts of the country and how the runways are constructed.
The agency also said the above-normal rainfall could lead to the erosion of roads and bridges which would hinder the movement of people, goods and services across the country.
The NEMA D-G also raised caution in the aviation sector when he said that squall lines, thunderstorm, wind shear, micro-burst, flash floods can affect runways thereby disrupting landing and take-off of aircraft, causing a delay in flights, affecting sensors along runways and can lead to plane crashes in some cases.
On the impact of the rainfall on other infrastructure, he said, “Flooding due to the predicted above-normal rainfall could erode roads and bridges which could hinder the movement of people, goods and services. Jetties may also be washed away, which would result in economic loss”.
The DG, however, said the document presented would help in the mapping out of communities at risk and safe locations for the setting up of temporary shelters.
Habib also said the document would enable relevant agencies to plan for stockpiling of relief materials for timely intervention to persons that would be affected by floods and other disasters.
