•As expert warns against repeat of 2022 flood disaster
By Henry Uche
Heirs Insurance has assured its customers who have insured their life and properties against risk, hazards, damage and losses associated with flooding, that it has adequate protection and would respond swiftly to do the needful even as Nigerians prepare for the rainy season.
The Executive Director, Technical, for the underwriter, Mr. Dr Japhet Duru, who stated this in an interview with Daily Sun recently, affirmed that Heirs Insurance had anticipated the impending flood and have made provisions to counteract the effects, especially in defense of the customers.
According to him, in negotiating the company’s re-insurance treaty, arrangements for catastrophic excess of loss cover were included, which addresses floods that will in turn affect its customers generally.
Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed, had earlier in the year warned Nigerians to brace up for severe flooding this year. NEMA DG gave this warning following the Seasonal Climate Prediction released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), that there will be normal to above normal rainfall in some states of the federation, hence the need for the government and citizens to take proactive steps to mitigate the expected floods.
Duru said, “Flooding is a phenomenal activity which has occurred in previous years. Given climate change and the current activities in society in recent times, flooding is rightfully anticipated as predicted by NEMA, especially in Lagos and other areas.
“We are aware the effect of a flood is catastrophic and has a severe impact affecting people. With the catastrophic excess of loss cover, Heirs Insurance is prepared to cover our customers in the event of flooding. It also gives peace of mind to our customers (the assured) knowing if they experience a flood in Lagos and other states, they will get full insurance coverage. We have adequate protection that guarantees our customers peace of mind.” The insurance expert maintained that the public was expected to take a proactive step to mitigate the impact of the expected flood, stressing that if Nigerians have taken a such step by ensuring provision against the rainy day is made, it would go a long way to reduce its impact. “This flooding anticipated will come, however, the more important point is to be protected against the impact of flooding on your property, life and the environment. I advise the public to make provision for the insurance cover”
He avowed that Heirs has in its kitty; the Fire & Special Perils cover that takes care of flood and its impact, then advised Nigerians to purchase the Fire & Special Perils cover and be assured of no consequences during the flooding. “Heirs Insurance will compensate for every kobo you incur as a result of the flooding likely to come. To our policyholders, you need not fear as we already have provision for rainy days”
He advised state’s government to be at the forefront of making provisions to counteract the effect of flooding, urging that vigilant and dedicated workers should be empowered to manage the dams and their environments to limit the risk of flooding and its effects. “The state government should in addition sensitise our citizens on flood management techniques to minimise the effect on properties and life of the citizens,” he added.
Similarly, an insurance expert, Gus Wiggle, decried that despite the increase in the awareness of the impact of climate change globally, perennial flooding has been a consistent news item in Nigeria over the years.
Wiggle maintained that ignoring the consistent effort of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) in providing early warning could be dangerous.
According to him, such alert contributes to the national disaster management efforts with identification and assessment of flood -prone regions.
“Like every effective Early Warning System, the level of awareness and response by the vulnerable populace is key to its effectiveness. Therefore, more efforts need to be put into sensitization of flood- prone communities of the nation, on the causes, impacts and mitigating strategies for flooding.
“The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Federal, State and Local Governments and other stakeholders need to invest more and deploy greater human and materials resources in creating sustained awareness on the impact of flooding and prevention strategies.
“The sad incidence of 2022 is still fresh in our memories, the human and economic losses, especially the massive destruction of farmlands points to inadequate preparation and low implementation of the National Disaster Management Framework”
Advising relevant authorities and Nigerians at large, the risk manager encouraged Nigerians living around the flood – prone areas to insure against flooding to mitigate its impact and to ensure business continuity whenever unforeseen incidences occur.
“Insurance companies as a critical stakeholder in Risk Management must boost public confidence in their services by ensuring prompt payment of all verified claims, especially those associated with flooding. This will greatly encourage existing policyholders and attract prospective ones.
“The Insurance industry should also invest more in creating awareness and educating the society about their various products for mitigating the impacts of flooding to individuals, businesses, and communities.
“Although Insurance has been a useful Risk Treatment option for other aspects of our lives, the level of awareness and acceptance of its relevance for mitigating flooding both for individuals and businesses, in Nigeria is still very low,”
The insurance expert called on the Federal, State and Local Governments in Nigeria to make capacity building, especially among the vulnerable communities a priority, noting that more funding for the acquisition of needed equipment for disseminating information to remote areas and training of manpower towards this objective must be prioritized as well.
“Agencies like NEMA, NiMet, NOA and other Non-Government Organizations must ensure proactive dissemination of relevant information to all flooding – prone communities in their local languages.
“Their swift response during flooding incidences must be well coordinated and benchmarked to existing international standards with a consistently reviewed Disaster Emergency Response Strategy,”
On strategies to mitigate flooding in coastal areas with the increasing impact of global climatic changes on sea- level, he affirmed that the global phenomenal increase in sea-level and the associated flooding experienced in most urban areas along the coasts can be mitigated by deploying “hard” engineering projects aimed at keeping seawater out or to ensure the possibility of living with water at higher levels, saying that “construction of dams and other embankments will aid in achieving this.
“We need to deploy nature -based defenses through conservation and restoration of the mangrove and saltwater marshes along the coastal communities, however before it happen, people living in flood-prone regions to safer areas should be swiftly resettled”
For urban dwellers with explosive population who are most likely affected, there is an increased demand for potable water; and as result, it has contributed to groundwater overdraft for domestic and industrial uses -resulting in greater susceptibility of urban areas to land subsidence – one of the confirmed drivers of flooding.
Wiggle therefore called for urgent action to be taken to control the unregulated drilling of boreholes and groundwater exploitation for domestic and industrial purposes, stressing that Natural and man-made water ways must be kept unclogged by both legislation and enforcement.
As a way forward, he reaffirmed that Risk Managers play vital roles in safeguarding the nation from flooding and other socio-economic disasters.
“Flooding is a major economic saboteur which can be prevented, and its impact mitigated to the barest minimum when adequate proactive strategies are put in place, diligently implemented, and consistently reviewed by all stakeholders.
“As evidenced in many failed national policies, Risk Management must no longer be treated in silos by the Government but must be fully integrated into all her policies and strategies from the point of conception to the point of implementation.
“The call for the Office of Risk Management for the Federation is now more germane to forestall avoidable national socio-economic and natural disasters” he emphasised
Moreover, an insurance professional, Nnanna Ajoku advised the government to make available improved seeds, seedlings and cassava cuttings to intensify production, saying that plans should be made for post farming season, for instance, storage facilities etc, for farmers.
“Government should support farmers in all ramifications. For instance, they can putting a strategy in place to make sure farmers had a seamless farming season.
Governments at all levels should equip farmers in their respective areas to be able to engage in irrigation farming.
“The Federal Government should strive to halt rain-dependent agricultural practices. They should encouraged farmers to plant drought-resistant crops in case the early rain was accompanied with short cessation, which would result in dryness,” he implored.
Meanwhile some friends of the environment (environmental enthusiasts) maintained that heeding to this warning would in no small measure guarantee improved Food Security, reduce the impact of damage on life and assets.
“While different people see the prediction as a welcome development, others see it as a threat to life and assets, others to their agricultural targets, however, everyone must be prepared because in one way or another, we all are affected, but famers should be trained and sensitised to prepare for this natural event.
The environmentalists urged the government, insurers, other stakeholders in the insurance value chain and Nigerians at large should take proactive measures now to mitigate the impact of the impeding flood, saying, “By so doing, we are saving Life and millions, I believe we had learned from past incidents. To be forewarned is to be forearmed,” they asseverated.