Combating Emergencies In Adamawa State

By Wale Akintunde

Relief materials for flood victims

Adamawa state is blessed with diverse features, among which are ethnic compo sition, geographical factors, economic pursuits etc. The rainfall pattern of the state gives boost to farming, fishery, cattle rearing, among others. Because of its topography, there are fast-current rivers and streams which drain into River Benue. As a predominantly rural state, the settlements and architectural outlook are mostly traditional. However, over the years, some of these blessings have become a source of agony for some communities, groups and even individuals.

The state has at various times suffered one disaster or the other, thus leaving bitter experiences and irreparable losses on the victims. Some of the disasters could be provincial, seasonal and others quite occasional. But one unique feature of them all is that when they occur, they leave behind them a devastating effect. Be it flood, erosion, mudslide, fire outbreak, storm, armed banditry, outbreak of diseases like cholera, measles, cerebrospinal meningitis. the victims are usually man and his environment.

Apart from all these, there are others capable of degenerating into emergency situations – such as communal clashes, outbreak of quela birds, drought, outbreak of rinderpest, stampede of elements and, of course, the breach of the natural dam in Lake Ngos.

In the case of flooding, it has always wreaked a havoc on communities in the state in the past two decades. These are seasonal occurrences occasioned by two main factors – torrential rainfall with the attendant flooding of fast-flowing rivers, and streams that often overflow their banks, sweeping away farmlands, houses, public utilities, among others.

Also, aiding flood disaster at times is the discharge of excess water into Kowa dam in Gombe State and the Lagdo dam in the Cameroun. In the case of River Benue, disaster occurs when it overflows from floods from seven local areas in the state. These are Fufore, Yola North, Yola South, Girei, while the Dadim Kowa dam flows into the Kiri Dam, affecting Shelleng, Lamude and other local governments downstream. Many communities in these areas dwell along the banks of the river where they engage in farming, fishing and grazing. They are often caught up in floods when the Benue River overflows its banks. When this happens, these communities get submerged and displaced. At such instances, lives are lost while items like foodstuff, domestic animals and other valuables running into millions of naira are lost. Apart from this, it also leaves on its trail epidemics due to contaminated water, food etc. During this period, food supplies are cut short and the victims, especially women and children, are exposed to all kinds of havoc.

Flood disasters are experienced in all parts of the state, mostly from July to September every year. The most vulnerable local government areas are Fufore, Yola North, Yola South Gira, Demsa, Numan and Lamude. Other areas that are also prone to such disasters are Shelleng, Guyuk, Song, Mayo-Belwa, Hong, Gombi and Muluks. These councils experience floods when rainfall is high and the rivers and streams get flooded. The third group consists of Jada, Garuye, Toungo, Mubi North, Mubi South, Madagali and Maila. At the peak of the rainy season, almost all parts of the state experience flood, thus challenging the emergency management on the part of the government.

All these notwithstanding, Dr. Ibadan Tereke, the State Commissioner for Special Duties, whose ministry is charged with the responsibility of responding to various degrees of disasters in the state said often times, there were usually early warning signals of an impending flood disasters. According to him, the indices of the warning includes rainfall pattern (i.e. increase in rainfall) situation of river beds, over flooding of banks, lack of adequate water management upstream and down stream and, of course, human interference by way of constructions to obstruct water ways among others. Apart from the flood disaster rampaging the state, fire disaster also accounts for a large percentage of losses incurred in Adamawa State. Unlike floods, fire disaster can occur anytime of the year and anywhere, erupting in markets, homes, business premises and even in public buildings. There are cases of an entire community or a farmland razed down.

Experience, Dr. Teneke said, had shown that from the on-set of the dry season, the vegetation got dried up and became highly combustible. In the rural areas, people often set the bush on fire for hunting purpose. Sometimes, domestic fires are carelessly handled. The Special Duties Commissioner said the harmattan winds of the dry season often aided in spreading the fire. The first victims, he said, were homes, especially those made of thatched roofs and farmlands, where there are no people on hand to control the fire. Dr. Teneke recalled that about three major fire incidents at the Jimeta and Mubi main markets were experienced lately, where food items, clothing and household utilities were destroyed. The cost of food items skyrocketed as supplies obviously became insufficient against demand, as such items had to be imported from neighbouring towns and states.

Similarly, a number of houses were completely razed while the victims were left at the mercy of kind-hearted neighbours and government for assistance. Dr. Tereke also disclosed that in 2001 alone, three averagely populated villages were completely razed, rendering the people homeless — with no food, clothing and other basics of life. The commissioner highlighted haphazard erection of structures, grassy environment, substandard electrical wiring, faulty electrical appliances, power flunctuations and other human activities as being the signals to impending fire disaster. Apart from flood and fire disasters occuring at will in Adamawa State, storm is also experienced in all parts of the state, especially between the months of May and October. Buildings, paricularly, roofings are usually extensively damaged.

In these hard times when the cost of building materials are beyond the reach of the average man, the effects left behind are bitter experiences.
The early rains which often commence in May are always accompanied by heavy torrential storm, leaving a devastating and catastrophic memory behind.
Desertification, which is the depletion of the natural vegetation is another problem in the state.
Dr. Teneke said this also has negative impact on the socio-economic wellbeing of the people by rendering their arable farm lands uncultivable, drying up fishponds and threatening the existence of forest resources and livestock.
The commissioner disclosed that the most affected areas in the state are Guyut, Shelleng, Madagali, and Nwiluka. Other parts of the state like Demsa, Numan, Mayo Belwa, Yola North and South are being threatened by desertification due to over grazing.
The Northern part of Adamawa state shares boundary with the Southern fringes of Sahel Savannah. Over the years, the vegetation of the Sahel Savannah has been drifting down to some local government areas in the northern part of the state, encroaching in the vegetation of the Sudan Savanna.
In due course, this development may progressively catch up with the other parts of the state. As a result of this, the rainfall pattern and the vegetation have been continually dwindling, affecting agricultural production.
Soil erosion is another natural disaster that often ravages the state. The withering away of the top soil by the winds, water and human activities often lead to the washing away by rain or blowing away by winds, the top soil which is essential for agricultural activities.
Mudslide disaster also occurs in Adamawa State. Mudslide is the sudden downward sliding of a large volume of mass of earth due to the soil texture by the heavy and continous rainfall.
Mudslide in Adamawa State is more noticeable in mountainous areas and other areas with undulating topography which record very high rainfalls. The effects of mudslide include the destruction of agricultural lands and human settlements thereby leading to food insecurity, displacement of people, disease outbreak and general insecurity.
Though, the state has a very small record of the incident, but wherever it occurs, it leaves a devastating consequence which results in the uprooting of large populations in Hong, Song and Gujuk local govt areas. These are predominantly mountainous areas.
However, for the purpose of drawing government attention for possible assistance to the victims, situation reports are submitted by the local governments concerned, stating the extent of losses incurred.
After assessing the situation and the magnitude of the disaster, this is where the federal, state local governments and donor agencies come in.
The Adamawa State Ministry of Special Duties is assigned the responsibility of handling emergencies. It liaises with the local government councils and relevant ministries and agencies in coordinating and monitoring disasters in the state.
Dr. Teneke, with his Midas touch, has turned around the erroneous impression that the people had about this ministry as he has been able to impact positively on the lives of very many people in the state.
The 2007 flood disaster in Adamawa State, no doubt, brought the best out of Admiral Murtala Nyako, who dispassionately dispatched relevant agencies and relief materials to the affected areas.
The commissioner said the governor approved the release of funds for the purchase of various relief items that were given to those affected to cushion the effect.
Dr. Teneke, however, was not happy that the state was yet to receive a kobo from the federal government as regards flood disaster.
He said the spate of disaster that befell the state in the last six months made the government to have a rethink about having its own disaster relief agencies.
According to the Commissioner in charge of the Special Duties Ministry, Dr. Teneke, there is a programme of action which the ministry is pursuing and if it sails through, it shall be okay.
He said a bill is already before the state House of Assembly to establish Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency.