By EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna-
The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has trained no fewer than 30 Environmental Field Officers on hazard profiling and mapping to mitigate possible disasters in the state, particularly in the hinterland.
The two-day capacity building exercise held during the weekend was focused on vulnerability and the difference between hazard and disaster – touched on functional and early warning system concept of disaster risk reduction, emergency response, hazard profiling and mapping.
In an interview with correspondents at the event, SEMA’s Executive Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Hassan, revealed that Kaduna State in its renewed plan to tackle possible disasters is currently working hard to prevent disasters ranging from fire, flooding, etc.
Alhaji Hassan added that Kaduna State Government had earmarked millions of naira to tackle emergencies and disasters, especially flooding in the state.
“SEMA is now at different levels of reviewing the contingency plans of the state, so that at end of the day, we would be able to package a document that would allow us to understand the different hazards throughout the state and then build the contingency plans around all the early warning signals that this project would address”.
“The Environmental Field Officers undergoing the training were meticulously chosen from the 23 Local Government Councils to liaise with the Local Government Emergency Management Committee – the Vice Chairmen of the Local Government Councils. The field officers would after the training be deployed to all 23 the Local Government Councils to meet with the vice chairmen to discuss and understand the terms of reference and objectives the whole exercise”, Hassan revealed.
The Executive Secretary stressed the need for the field officers to work hand in hand with the vice chairmen towards the success of the exercise.
“It is important and critical that we get the field officers in to understand and also to relay to the Vice Chairmen that they would be supported by the field officers, who would be on ground in all the local council areas to interact with vice chairmen and the community to ensure that campaign a resounding success because all logistics in terms of transportation, feeding and accommodation for the field officers would be provided by the state government”.
Alhaji Hassan, however, assured that adequate preparations have been made to prevent possible disasters in the state.
The Executive Secretary blamed the frequent fire disasters in the state on what he calls “attitudinal behaviour of people who are totally ignorant about hazards and early warning signals”.
He noted that such gaps prompted the steps being taken by the state to mitigate disasters absolutely necessary in preparation for the rainy day”.
“We must get the people sensitized and informed about early warning signals. What we are doing is a bottom-top approach. We want to get to the communities and interact with them directly, let them get to understand what they need to do in case they confronted by emergency situations. Even before the flood prediction of NIMET, we had been able to assess some of the communities prone to flood and made come with plans on how to bring such emergencies under control. The ultimate goal is to take SEMA to the door steps of the people and we are almost getting there”, he said.
Highlights of the workshop include the training on field management with affected members of a given community, in the event of disasters or emergencies.
Trainees (Field Officers), were on the second day of the training deployed to three communities in the suburb of Kaduna metropolis, namely: Rafin Giza, Romi and Ungwan Matari to test run their newly acquired skills and tools in preparation for their primary assignment at the grassroots.
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