Red Cross X-rays flood’s lessons & feedbacks in Adamawa

Red Cross X-rays 2025 flood’s lessons & feedbacks in Adamawa

From Umar Dankano, Yola

The Nigerian Red Cross has conducted a one day critical stakeholders flood’s post-engagement monitoring meeting aimed at reviewing 2025 flooding in Adamawa state.

Addressing the attendees of the meeting in Yola Monday, the Disaster Management Coordinator of the NRCS, Timothy Ali Yohanna said that the meeting was organized to basically have a coordinated assessment of disaster management roles played by various organizations last year in the effected areas in the state.

Yohanna stated that the project was funded by Nigerian Humanitarian Fund,NHF for basically antispectory action plans against flooding in flood front line local government areas in the state as predicted by NIMET in 2025.

Yohanna explained that the Red Cross as a community based organization was given the role of early warning awareness campaigns on the dangers of flood and how best to handle it occurance which guiding principles and skills by volunteers detailed to affected areas.

He stressed that,two hundred and ten(210) volunteers were engaged and trained best skills needed and were posted to the affected communities in the seven (7) local government areas which recorded high volume of flooding last year.

“We are looking at the achievements of the anticipatory action and the second, the challenge, we encounter during the implementation of the anticipatory action project in Adamawa State,” he said.

According to him, the meeting will help Nigeria Red Cross and other agencies involved in flood disaster management to prepare better for expected floods in 2026.

Speaking in the same vein, Abdulkadir Bello Ahmad, Disaster Management Officer of the NRCS Adamawa state branch announced that thirty one (31) trained volunteers were posted to the affected communities in the seven (7) local councils including ; Girei, Numan,Yola North, Demsa , Lamurde, Fufore and Yola South respectively.

Ahmad reiterated that the meeting was aimed at analysing the performance of the Society and other partners during the 2025 flood disasters and to identify areas they need to improve come 2026 activity.

“We are here to discuss lessons learned and to get feedback on the implementation of the project through our partners like the traditional leaders, Religious leaders,govt. Agencies and other implementing partners. Ahmad noted.

In their separate remarks, Kabiru Sa’idu , Director,Water Supply and quality control, Ministry of Water Resources and State coordinator of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Mr. Namarju Philip adduced that floods are not only caused by heavy downpour but also by rising water volumes from rivers.

They both commended the collaboration with implementing partners declaring that the mobilization really contributed in saving safety and quality of portable drinking water in those affected communities which blocked any water borne disease outbreak during the flooding.

“We monitor rivers volume three times in a day, 7 am, 12 noon and 6 pm every day to ensure that any increase in water volumes that can cause floods is reported on time,” Philip stated.

Miss Folashade Oguntola, a Volunteer shared her experience saying that as the Volunteers, they engaged residents in their worship centres such as churches, Mosques, Market places and even house to house just to sensitize them on the signs and dangers of flood.

Oguntola recounted that in Yola South local council,the people responded peacefully and cooperated whenever they visit them telling precautionary measures to be adopted in tackling flood.

She applauded the Red Cross and its partners for the knowledge impacted on them as volunteers pledging to work as a humanitarian worker whenever the need arises.