Assessing Disaster Management Infrastructure and Strategies in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Natural disasters have continued to attract attention due to increased human, economic and environmental consequences. The study assessed the effects of disasters and the effectiveness of the response infrastructure in communities of South Eastern Nigeria. The questionnaire survey, participatory research method and field measurements were used to generate data from purposively sampled locations in the region. The data were analysed using descriptive and analytical techniques. The result showed that flooding, landslide and windstorm ranked as the most common disasters affecting the area. These disasters have significantly resulted in food scarcity (food insecurity) and property loss, representing 26% and 25% of the study population. Furthermore, the study reveals several infrastructures as mitigation measures, including financial donations, reconstruction of damaged buildings, bridges, provisions of household materials, and food, among others. The One-way Analysis Variance (ANOVA) results showed a significant difference in the effectiveness of stakeholder involvement in natural disaster mitigation (F-value of 7.737, > the table value of 2.17 at a 0.05 level of significance). This analysis implies that the activities of government, communities, and donor agencies were rated differently in terms of their overall performances in infrastructure provision to disaster-affected areas and people. It was recommended that disaster management education, early warning signs and participatory disaster management response be practised in South Eastern Nigeria.

Predicting sediment yield on different landuse surfaces in Calabar River Catchment, Nigeria

“…1 ] is located in South-South Nigeria, within the Hydrological boundary of the Calabar River system, between latitudes 4°45′1″N and 5°10′1″N and longitudes 8°05′1″E and 8°45′1″E [ 33 ]. Encompassing an estimated area of 2340 km^2, the lower Calabar River is a fourth-order river catchment, covering the present Calabar South, Calabar Municipality, and parts of Akpabuyo and Odukpani Local Government Areas of Cross River State [ [16] , [28] , [34] , [35] ]. The Calabar River originates from the Oban hills in Akamkpa, flows southwards through the high rainforest of the South-East Coast of Nigeria, and eventually discharges into the Cross River estuary at Calabar.…”

“…Within the study area, the Calabar Flank represents a foundered Southern Nigeria continental margin dominated by a system of NW-SE trending step fault systems, leading to the formation of horst and graben structures^3. The subsequent stratigraphic development of the flank was influenced by the vertical tectonics of these fault blocks and custalic sea level changes within the adjacent South Atlantic Ocean [ 35 , 37 ].…”