NEMA Launches Early Warning Campaign Against Floods in Kano

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is sounding the alarm—and taking action—in Kano State’s Doka community ahead of the 2025 rainy season. On Wednesday, NEMA convened stakeholders and local residents in a campaign focused on flood preparedness and response, an urgent effort to curb the devastating human and economic toll floods have repeatedly exacted.

DG Zubaida Umar, through NEMA’s Kano Territorial Coordinator, Dr. Nuradeen Umar, framed this initiative as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda—a blueprint for driving socio-economic development by protecting communities from avoidable disasters. The campaign, titled “Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Preparedness and Response,” seeks to build local capacity to act early, saving lives and securing livelihoods before the floodwaters rise.

The message was clear and sobering: “In the recent past, lives have been lost, and infrastructure worth billions of Naira destroyed due to floods. Many Nigerians have suffered injuries and lost lifetime savings.”

In a country where climate shocks are becoming a relentless threat, NEMA’s proactive outreach is not just timely—it is critical. The question now is whether this wave of preparedness will ripple across other vulnerable regions before the rains unleash their fury again. The lives and futures of countless Nigerians hang in the balance.

“NEMA has produced vulnerability maps for all communities at risk to serve as tools to guide governments at all levels in developing risk reduction measures to avert disaster loss.

“Public and private institutions, humanitarian, non governmental organisations, school children and youth organisations are expected to leverage these early warning tools to support the efforts of NEMA and other government institutions.”

He outlined a comprehensive strategy to tackle the flood menace head-on. NEMA is not just warning communities—they’re actively building resilience. This includes training local emergency responders to react swiftly and effectively, conducting simulation exercises to prepare everyone for worst-case scenarios, and promoting rainwater harvesting to manage excess water smartly.

Perhaps most crucially, they’re urging farmers to respect rainfall forecasts and delay planting until the rains are steady and predictable, reducing crop loss and protecting food security. These layered, practical measures showcase a move from reactive disaster response to proactive disaster mitigation—a necessary shift if Nigeria is to break the cycle of devastation and rebuild stronger communities. It’s a blueprint not just for survival, but for sustainable growth amid climatic uncertainty.

“Others are desilting of drainages and natural waterways, integrity tests for critical infrastructure, evacuation plans, community-based information sharing and increased safety and security surveillance in identified vulnerable communities,” he said.

“They happen in particular communities in a particular local government area, and the first life saving responders are always local before additional support will come from the state capital.

“We must therefore strive to support our local emergency management communities with adequate capacity building, funding and equipment to take disaster risk management to the communities,” he said.

He lauded NEMA, SEMA, and all partners for coming together in true solidarity—a united front essential for weathering the storms ahead. Their collaboration is more than coordination; it’s a lifeline.

Echoing this spirit, Kano SEMA’s Executive Secretary, Isyaku Kubarachi, called the meeting “timely”—a much-needed call to action. He revealed that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has already stepped up, ordering the clearing of drainages across Kano metropolis, with local government chairmen directed to follow suit in their jurisdictions.

This hands-on leadership is exactly what’s needed to turn plans into action, and action into results—because when the rains fall, preparedness can mean the difference between devastation and survival. It’s a decisive push to reclaim safety, dignity, and hope for Kano’s people.