Imo State government has inaugurated 135 people as Local Government Emergency Management Committee responders for flood and environmental disasters for the 27 council areas of Imo State.
Head of the National Emergency Management Agency in charge of Abia and Imo States Mr Nnamdi Igwe, has said the responders for flood will help to make interventions quicker.
The 135 responders were drawn five each from the 27 local government areas and were inaugurated on Thursday in Owerri, the Imo State capital after a two day training.
Igwe said the LGEMCs were trained and had been provided with fire blankets, extinguishers, reflective jackets, first aid box and other emergency kits to enhance their emergency response in any location.
According to him, the LGEMCs will replicate NEMA interventions in local government areas, noting that with the new flood responders, emergency situations in the hinder lands will be sorted faster.
He said, “The LGEMCs will replicate NEMA interventions in local government areas and we are also training youth corpers to assist in emergency management because of their spread.
“The LGEMCs is expected to be replicated throughout the 36 states to improve emergency response across the country.
“Imo State has inaugurated theirs today and other states are also perfecting their own structure. We hope that with the LGEMCs, any incidence of flooding will be identified immediately and emergency services deployed.
“Imo State 135 LGEMCs have been equipped to provide immediate emergency services which gives NEMA and SEMA time to arrive such places for expert interventions. My only appeal to them is to take this assignment seriously.
“Let me appeal to Imo people to support us with immediate notification. Everyone must be ready to provide information so that we avoid deaths and irreversible injuries”.
