Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has concluded the disbursement of N35,000 naira to 4,912 households each in Kaduna State to enable them to prepare for flood.
Gatekeepers News reports that the beneficiaries were identified in 6 communities from 3 flood-prone local government areas, namely Kaduna South, Kaduna North and Chikum in Kaduna state.
The 6 communities: Narayi, Kabala West, Bachma, Kigo Extension, Nasarawa and Romi, are close to the River Kaduna which is predicted to overflown due to heavy rains according to the Nigerian Metrological Agency, NiMET.
The Shock Responsive Social Protection Program (SRSP) program, being the first of its kind in Nigeria, is a pilot project that equips beneficiaries with financial resources as well as other community members with messages on flood mitigation, hygiene promotion, protection against sexual abuse and exploitation, PSEA as well as other empowerment initiatives.
“Flooding is not an unforeseen occurrence, there are usually early warning signs but most people choose to ignore them because of a lack of resources to take action. This project helps people to plan, prepare and prevent the devastation, which is better than responding when the disaster has already struck,” says Secretary General of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Abubakar Kende.
According to Mr Benson Agbro, the Director, Disaster Management, “As an anticipatory activity, this project will go a long way to shape future approaches to disaster management. A time will come when few people will be affected by such predicted disasters and thus there will be less risk to human lives and property.”
The SRSP was funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) supported by the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross, IFRC, and the IFRC Climate Center.