By Abdullahi Lukman
The Yobe State Government has launched a comprehensive flood preparedness plan to protect over 126,000 households, or nearly 468,000 individuals, in high-risk local government areas.
The plan, announced by Dr. Goje Mohammed, Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), is a response to recent flood and windstorm incidents that have affected more than 4,500 households and caused seven deaths since the beginning of 2025.
The new plan is based on seasonal outlooks from NiMet and NIHSA and lessons learned from the devastating floods of 2022-2024.
The initiative aims to provide contingency arrangements for nearly 16,000 potentially displaced people and includes the activation of Local Emergency Management Committees and community volunteers across 10 high-risk LGAs. SEMA has also stockpiled essential supplies in key locations, including food for 20,000 households and shelter materials for 10,000 households.
The announcement comes after SEMA, with proactive state government support, carried out rapid responses to two specific flood events. On August 15, a flash flood in Potiskum LGA displaced 1,261 households.
Within hours, SEMA provided temporary shelters, medical support, and relief supplies. Similarly, on August 17, following distress calls from communities in Nangere LGA, SEMA teams assisted 550 households by providing sandbags for embankment construction, food aid, and sanitation kits.
