Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Anambra State Government has issued a flood alert to residents, urging them to prioritise personal and collective safety throughout the rainy season as the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency warns of high riverine flood risk across fifteen states, including Anambra, between September 19 and 25, 2026.
The alert, disclosed in a press statement jointly released on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Law Mefor, and the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi, followed a forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency listing Anambra as one of the states likely to experience above-normal flooding this year due to its location within the Delta belt. “Residents are therefore strongly advised to remain vigilant and take the NiMET prediction seriously throughout the rainy season, avoid unnecessary movements during heavy downpours, whether on foot or by vehicle, and take all necessary precautionary measures to ensure personal safety, including relocating from flood-prone areas where necessary and seeking help promptly during emergencies,” the statement read. The government reiterated its commitment to safeguarding lives and property and solicited maximum cooperation from the public.
The warning comes as Anambra is already experiencing flash floods, with residents in several communities reporting inundation in the past week. The Anambra State Government attributed the flash floods to the NiMET forecast, which identified areas susceptible to rapid surface runoff and localised flooding between September 21 and 30, 2026, particularly in areas with saturated soils, limited drainage, low-lying terrain, or proximity to rivers. On Tuesday, rescue operations were underway to evacuate school children trapped in a school bus along the Ring Road axis of Nibo in Awka South Local Government Area, with the rescued children taken to a hospital for medical attention. Six children were rescued and one remained missing, according to reports from the scene.
The scale of the risk in Anambra is substantial. NiHSA identified Aguata, Anambra East, Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka North, Awka South and Ayamelum local government areas as vulnerable, with 1,314 communities, 1,308 schools, 1,089 healthcare facilities, 280 markets, 610 religious buildings and 1,529 hectares of farmland exposed to potential flooding. Across the fifteen states covered by the alert, more than 8,000 communities and 4,500 schools are at risk, underscoring the national dimension of the threat. The affected states are Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu and Abia.
The National Emergency Management Agency has placed emergency teams on red alert and activated its National Emergency Operations Centre to enhance coordination and ensure effective response. NEMA has urged residents living on floodplains, riverbanks and low-lying areas to relocate to safer and higher ground before conditions deteriorate, and has warned against attempting to cross flooded roads, bridges and fast-moving water, whether on foot or in vehicles.
The Anambra State Government has taken a series of proactive measures ahead of the peak of the rainy season. In April 2026, the state commenced a statewide clearance of waterways and drainage channels tagged “Operation Clear Your Waterways 3.0,” aimed at ensuring that all drainage systems are free from silt and debris. In June 2026, the Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, led a stakeholders’ engagement meeting at the Government House in Awka, where he assured residents that adequate measures had been put in place to mitigate the impact of possible flood incidents during the 2026 rainy season. He said the state government had commenced comprehensive preparations involving relevant stakeholders across flood-prone local government areas and called on the Federal Government to construct dams and dredge rivers to reduce the devastating effects of flooding.
The Deputy Governor noted that the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo had recorded almost zero mortality from flood disasters due to proactive measures and effective emergency response mechanisms, and urged emergency responders to prioritise their own safety while carrying out rescue operations. Chairmen of Anambra East and Ogbaru Local Government Areas disclosed that their areas had commenced the desilting of drainage channels to improve water flow and reduce flooding, and appealed to both the federal and state governments to provide the necessary logistics and support needed to effectively respond to flood emergencies. The Deputy Director of Administration at the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Mrs Ndidi Omega, advised residents of riverine communities to remain vigilant and be prepared to relocate to safer grounds whenever water levels begin to rise.
The flood alert has been accompanied by a broader national mobilisation. Vice President Kashim Shettima had earlier directed the activation of the Fusion and Trigger Room concept within NEMA to strengthen coordination and trigger early action when flood risks reach critical thresholds, and NEMA has conducted full-scale flood simulations in Ogbaru, Anambra State, and Wudil, Kano State, bringing emergency agencies, security institutions, state authorities and communities into practical scenarios to test evacuation, rescue, communication and inter-agency coordination.
For the millions of Nigerians living in the path of the projected flooding, the warning represents a critical window for action. The difference between a manageable flood event and a catastrophe often lies in whether early warnings are converted into timely action. As NiHSA’s Director-General, Umar Ibrahim Mohammed, put it, early action and adherence to official flood warnings are critical to reducing the risk of loss of lives, property and livelihoods. For Anambra, the coming days will determine whether the state’s preparedness measures and the cooperation of residents are sufficient to prevent the kind of devastation that has marked previous flood seasons.
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