The Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Benue-SEMA, has stepped up early warning on impending flood in Makurdi, following the threat of flooding in Parts of Makurdi metropolis announced by 2026 flood and weather predictions by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, NIHSA, as the rainy season begins.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (Benue-SEMA) have commence the campaign of sensitization and early warning signs to some vulnerable communities in Makurdi to help reduce the impact.

As NEMA and BSEMA jointly launched a grassroots sensitization and early warning campaign, both agency deployed emergency response and awareness teams to Bambam community, located behind Modern Market in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.

‎Addressing residents at the residence of the community leader, Zaki Alfred Ankon, representatives of NEMA and Benue-SEMA, Felix Adua, a Search and Rescue Officer, and Tema Ager, Information Officer of Benue-SEMA, alerted the residents to the looming flood threat and the need for immediate preventive actions.

‎As they urged residents to regularly clear drainage channels and gutters to allow the free flow of water, avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and refrain from building or settling in low-lying and flood-prone areas, said proactive community action remains critical in mitigating the devastating flood effects.

The COMMUNITY Leader, Zaki Alfred Ankon, commended NEMA and Benue-SEMA for the timely awareness campaign and appealed to the Benue State Government to open up blocked access roads and extend the drainage canal from the Idye Basin to the Bambam Basin to address the persistent flooding challenges affecting the area.

‎Meanwhile, the emergency management teams presented flood control and safety information materials to the community leadership to enhance public awareness and preparedness.