A powerful windstorm has destroyed at least 209 houses in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State, leaving many families displaced and in urgent need of assistance.
This was revealed by the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), Dr. Mohammed Goje, during a stakeholders’ meeting on the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) organized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Damaturu.
“In 2025, we experienced one windstorm incident in Fika Local Government Area which affected about 209 households, including some public buildings. We are tracking and reviewing how we can support those affected communities,” Dr. Goje stated.
According to data released by YOSEMA, in 2024 alone, 28,977 households—comprising 68,954 individuals—were affected by windstorms and flooding across the state. The same disasters caused 544 injuries due to collapsed buildings and claimed 47 lives in 601 communities across Yobe’s 17 local government areas.
In response to the increasing climate-related disasters, the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, represented by the North East Zonal Director, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasized the importance of state-level preparedness. She referenced the 2025 seasonal climate prediction released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and the annual flood outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) as key warning signals.
“The stakeholders’ engagement is part of proactive efforts to minimize the impact of disasters in high-risk communities,” she said.
This year’s campaign is themed: “Strengthening resilience, enhancing preparedness and response: Taking disaster risk management to the grassroots to save lives, restore normalcy and build communal resilience across Nigeria.”
