Flooding: JDPC Onitsha builds community capacity for effective disaster management

Chinedum Treasure

The Justice Development and Peace Caritas, JDPC Onitsha is building the capacity of people from 12 out of 16 communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area, under the Disaster Risk Reduction, (DRR) approach to respond effectively to flood disaster and its attendant devastation.

Disaster Risk Reduction is one of the two methodologies through which the organization is implementing its Flood Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Project in Nigeria.

Executive Director, Rev Fr Edwin Udoye, who disclosed this during a visit to one of the communities, named the twelve benefitting communities to include: Odekpe, Ohita, Atani, Ogbakuba, Ochuche, Mkputu, Ogwuikpele, Umunankwo, Osomala, Akiliogidi, Akiliozizor, and Obeagwe.

Addressing newsmen during the visit, the cleric said the DRR approach allows the community people to drive the programme by themselves while only JDPC provides the financial and technical support needed for success.

“From the planning to this implementation stage, we have been carrying them along. They were all entirely part of the process and we will continue to involve them because eventually when the project is completed, JDPP will leave the field. They will be charged to carry on with the project.

“That’s why we are building their capacity to own the entire process so that before the flood comes, they on their own begin to create awareness using every local means. They share early warning signs with their people.

“They relay the information from NiMET, NEMA, and others about the likelihood of flooding and the need for everyone to move upland in early enough to prevent casualty and losses. They tell people about camps where they can take refuge during the time of flood.

“The task of has been rested on the shoulders of the eight-man Community Emergency Management Committee created in each community to complement the efforts of the Local Emergency Management Committee.

“The number of the committee members has been expanded to accommodate everyone willing to serve their community in the committee.

Father Udoye expressed optimism that the committee members now perfectly understand their duties and will discharge them patriotically in their interest of their people.

“Should flood come, they now have a good understanding of flooding in their communities. They draw their response to the disaster and we allow them to execute with proper guidance where necessary. For instance, they can say – we’re going to identify safe routes to the IDP camps and support our people to take such safe routes out of the communities.

He also spoke of the unconditional cash transfer which JDPC will soon give to the people as part of the project. “Between March and April, we are giving them unconditional cash transfer to further assist them and they are free to utilize as they wish.

“We realized that when you say cash is coming, everybody wants to be a beneficiary. So, we are going to use the unconditional cash transfer to further create awareness about our intervention. We discovered that some community members are not still aware of the project”.

Some members of the Community Emergency Management Committee, who spoke about the intervention, appreciated JDPC for coming to their rescue in a way that is impacting them positively.

They reaffirmed their readiness to work according to the regulations guiding their engagement to reduce losses and devastation that come with flooding.

“We are grateful to JDPC and Catholic Relief Services for this intervention. We have never had it this good. We are ready to put all that they are teaching us into practice towards ensuring better management of flood disaster to reduce the risk associated with it,” one of them, Ifeanyi Ogo, said.

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