The exercise, conducted along the River Benue in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, the armed forces, police and the Red Cross, focused on coordination, early warning, evacuation and emergency response.
Code-named Exercise “Mar Uma”, meaning “saving lives” in Tiv, the exercise was designed to strengthen inter-agency coordination and improve response to both riverine and urban flooding in the state.
NEMA said Benue was selected because of its topography, heavy rainfall, and the scale of destruction often associated with flooding in the state.
The Director-General of NEMA, represented by the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore BO Usman, described the exercise as a full-scale simulation aimed at testing the effectiveness of existing preparations for flood emergencies.
The exercise covered the various stages of flood response, from early warning and emergency mobilisation to rescue, evacuation and the provision of relief materials.
Speaking during the exercise, the Benue State Deputy Governor, Sam Ode, thanked NEMA and other participating organisations for their contributions.
Ode said the exercise would deepen collaboration among agencies involved in rescue operations, evacuation and other emergency responses.
The exercise brought together local communities, the Red Cross, SEMA, development partners, the United Nations, the armed forces and the police.
Relief materials were also deployed as part of the simulation to demonstrate how assistance would be provided to affected communities during a flood emergency.
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