JULIUS Opetunsin, the Assistant Controller-General, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service, has advised residents of the territory living in houses prone to flooding to move out of such structures to avoid loss of lives and property.

Opetunsin gave the advice during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He also advised them to avoid securing and building houses in areas prone to flooding during the rainy season.

“People should not build around flood-prone areas; it is not ideal.

“We have lost lives recently due to floods and we don’t want that to reoccur,” he said.

He advised that residents should be cautious about their homes when it was raining.

“When it is raining and you see signs of flooding, it is better to move out of that house almost immediately,” he said.

Opetunsin said that when an area got flooded it would gradually begin to get weak, which he said could be disastrous.

He said that the fire prevention and protection units in functional fire stations in the FCT Area Councils would move to the satellite areas of the territory to sensititise residents on how to avoid flooding.

“They will move to the interior areas to sensitise people especially those in the flood-prone areas,” he said.

He urged residents to avoid disposing wastes into the drains as this could obstruct the flow of water in the system.

“When water stays still and cannot find its way, that could become disastrous,” he said. (NAN)

– Jul. 25, 2018 @ 11:32 GMT |