The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called for greater synergy among emergency responders to ensure promptness and coordination during flood disasters in the South-East.
The Director, NEMA South-East Zone, Mr Walson Brandon, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu during a NEMA South-East Directorate/Operations Office Stakeholders Refresher Training on Urban Search and Rescue Activities.
Represented by the Assistant Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, Mrs Ifeyinwa Onyia, the director noted that disaster response remained a shared responsibility that required a multi-stakeholder approach for timely and robust intervention that would yield quick results.
According to him, responders and responding agencies must be appropriately trained, retrained and psychologically prepared for timely response and must know the clear roles to play at disaster sites.
“We are working to build a robust and well-coordinated response team, involving all responding agencies and personnel working in synergy to safeguard the lives and property of Nigerians.
“So, I urge stakeholders here to participate fully, share ideas and bring their specialty to bear in handling emergency and disaster issues,” he said.
Speaking, the Head of NEMA Enugu Operations Office, Mrs Priscilla Madukwe, said that the training was imperative to remind and refresh stakeholders of their roles and the need for teamwork during disasters.
Madukwe noted that as the threat of disasters heightened, emergency responders must gear up and be timely and proactive in any disaster response.
“With the refresher training, we are upping our preparedness to respond robustly, while everyone is carried along and each agency or person knows what role to play,” she said.
The head appreciated the stakeholders for the support given to NEMA and for their commitment to respond to disasters.
Contributing, the Enugu State Coordinator of the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC), Mr Emeka Okoh, lauded NEMA for organising the training and coordinating all emergency responding agencies.
Okoh said that the training would afford stakeholders the opportunity to share experiences and interact for a better understanding of what to do during disasters.
In a goodwill message, the Deputy Superintendent of Fire, Ms Ifeyinwa Egbo, said that the Federal Fire Service had continued to provide leadership on fire and rescue services in the country.
“It is good that the refresher training is coming now to sharpen our response rate and ensure that the negative impact of disasters is minimised,” she said.
A lecture on “Safety Concerns During Community Search and Rescue/Evacuation in Flood Water” was delivered by a Principal Search and Rescue Officer, Mr Obinna Nwokike.
Another Search and Rescue Officer, Mr Tochukwu Agbazue, delivered a lecture on Search and Rescue and Epidemic Evacuation Plan (SAREEP).
