Assessment of Preparedness to Climate-induced Disasters in Rural Communities of Rivers State.

Author

O’gbuta Chimezie Jcbryte, Mbee, Daniel Mbee, Wekpe V. O.

Abstract

 Climate-induced disasters have become increasingly frequent and severe in Rivers State, leading to loss of lives, destruction of property, displacement of populations, reduction in agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and deterioration of livelihoods. A cross-sectional survey was used for this study. The population for this study was 73,494. The study used primary and secondary sources of data. Multistage and stratifying sampling technique was used to select the nine LGA prone to farmers and herder’s conflict. The sample size for this study was 400 respondents using Taro Yamane formula of sample size. The data obtained for the study used descriptive statistics such as tables, frequencies, percentages. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents 160 (40.92%) agreed that awareness of flood disaster is a preparedness approaches used by rural communities. Majority of the respondents, 193 (49.4) agreed that poverty is a barrier which limits the ability of households to prepare for and adapt to disasters. It was recommended that community should create a rapid notification system by using local leaders, town criers, or community-wide WhatsApp or SMS groups to disseminate weather forecasts and flood alerts.

Keywords

Climate Change, Climate-induced disasters, flooding, Preparedness

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References

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