Assessment of Awareness and Level of Preparedness for Humanitarian Disasters in Nigeria

Assessment of Awareness and Level of Preparedness for Humanitarian Disasters in Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessment of Awareness and Level of Preparedness for Humanitarian Disasters in Nigeria Olufemi Samuel Amoo, Oluwatoyin Bamidele Awoderu, Moses Bamidele, and 14 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Disaster preparedness is critical for households, businesses, and communities. Over the years, Nigerians have had to rely on sheer luck and providence to save themselves from disasters with little or no help coming from rescue agencies which on many occasions have been found to lack capacity and wherewithal to intervene in such difficult moments. This research was focused on determining the level of awareness, preparedness and response to humanitarian disasters concerning flood in Nigeria. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which relevant data was collected from community dwellers (household heads) selected by a multistage sampling technique and data analysed using SPSS v23. Results The mean age of respondents was 39 years with an average family size of seven. Flooding, fire incidence and rioting were the highest recorded disasters known and experienced by the participants and the humanitarian disasters experienced in the four states are statistically significant (p < 0.05). The participant’s awareness of humanitarian disasters emerged from diverse sources with the highest being personal experience (25.5%), television (21.3%) radio jingles (17.9%) and the least information obtained through telephone calls (0.2%). Flooding was the most encountered and significant humanitarian disaster among all participants. Blocked drainages as a cause of the flood were reported amongst 24.9% of respondents while 21.4%, 18.6% and 8.9% attributed the cause of the flood to heavy rainfall, the opening of dams and the lack of drainages, respectively. The effects of flooding on the participants ranged from loss of lives and properties to an adverse impact on income. Also, the study explored how participants would prevent floods. 33.5% responses indicated clearing drainages, 19.3% stated public enlightenment, 13.5% suggested non-dumping of refuse in the drainage and 6.8% affirmed that floods could be prevented if structures are not built on drainage channels. Lastly, concerning what they had to do in case of flooding; 33.2% suggested climbing to a higher area and shouting for help, 25.7% recommended calling emergency numbers, 9.4% proposed swimming across the flood and 7.8% responded with staying in the flood and holding on tightly to something. Conclusion To systematically reduce the increased impact of disaster especially flooding among community dwellers, there is need for increased awareness, re-orientation and continued education in response to humanitarian disaster. Disaster Flooding Awareness Emergency Figures Figure 1 Background Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event, bringing great damage, loss, destruction and devastation to life and property 1 . They are events with destructive impacts that pose threats to public health and the environment, thereby causing disruptions and obstacles to regular operations 2 . Disaster is the combination of a hazard and the vulnerable conditions of a population 3 . It can inflict great damage (technological, physical, financial, psychological, and health burdens) and destruction in the areas where it occurs and some of these disasters occur naturally such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes 4 . This results in a great deal of loss and mass destruction that can overwhelm national medical resources and prevent the delivery of comprehensive and definitive medical care to affected people in affected areas 5 . According to the New York State Department of Health, emergency preparedness is defined as the steps taken to ensure safety before, during and after an emergency or natural disaster 6 . It is a continuous process in which action, funding, partnerships and political commitment at all levels must be sustained. However, this relies on all stakeholders working together effectively to plan, invest and implement priority actions. Emergencies and disasters impact population health as we face diverse hazards influenced by complexities in our environment and demographics. The impact of any hazard can vary significantly based on the level of mitigation, socio-economic factors affecting the losses, the degree of preparedness, and the ability to recover 3 . The occurrence of disasters in Nigeria continues to increase in magnitude, leaving severe consequences and material losses to individuals and communities 7 . Due to weak and under protective environment, Nigeria is vulnerable to both natural and human-induced disasters, some of which are rapid, and slow in onset, resulting in catastrophic situations which lead to loss of lives and properties and degradation of the environment 8 . These disasters occur in the form of flooding, drought, desertification, epidemics, coastal erosion, dam failure, building collapse, oil spillage, maritime collision or accident, bomb explosions, communal clash, fire outbreaks, air crashes and boat mishap, amongst others 7 . The severity and impact of disasters globally has increased exponentially, with an increment in the total number of catastrophic events showing a trend line from approximately 450 to 800 major emergencies per year 2 . This increase in the severity of disaster is mostly felt in developing countries due to their high vulnerability caused by insufficient emergency preparedness 9, 10 . Nigeria has a National Contingency Plan (NCP) which is a document developed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, supported by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), to provide basis for coordination of humanitarian responses in the event of catastrophic disaster for quick response by the Federal Government of Nigeria 7 . This plan is a first step towards mitigating the impact of quick onset disasters when the level of forecast cannot be ascertained. It creates the platform to bring several humanitarian players together, act as a framework for making contingency arrangements for disaster response and ensures a wider range of responses are covered. As documented by NEMA, disasters in Nigeria history include; epidemics and disease outbreaks like cholera, malaria and meningitis 7 and droughts in Sudan-Sahel zone of the country in 1972–1974 and 1982-1984 11 . Floods in Shiroro and Kaduna in 2003; Gombe in 2004; Sokoto, Kebbi, Lagos, Ogun and most of the country in 2010; Enugu, Ogun, Delta, Niger, Kano and Bayelsa floods in 2018, and Adamawa flood in 2023 as reported by Okafor 2021 12 and Akukwe et al 13 . Landslides in Agwu, Enugu state in 2005, 2006, 2008 and the 2009 landslide in Agwagune, Cross River State 14 , Conflicts (ethnic, political and religious) in Kaduna, Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Benue, Delta, Anambra, Ondo, Osun and Ogun state 15 and Earthquakes in Ibadan in 1939, Lagos in 2002, Abeokuta in 2011 and Kaduna, Oyo and Bayelsa in 2016 16,17 . Nigeria has also been affected by various kinds of technological disasters such as; bomb explosions, building collapses and air crashes. According to the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) and the Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Office-Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (OFDA-CRED) International Disaster Database, a total of 329 technological disasters were documented to have occurred in Nigeria between the period of 1965-2015 18 . Other technological disasters experienced include: the 2005 Sosoliso air crash in Rivers State, the Aviation Development Company (ADC) air crash in Abuja, the 2012 Dana air crash in Lagos 19 , the Ikotun building collapse in 2014, the Jos school building collapse in 2014, the 2015 Helicopter air crash at Oworonshoki area of Lagos 18 , and the 21 storey building collapse in Ikoyi 20 . The management of disaster in Nigeria has been perceived by many as primarily humanitarian relief supplies with huge emergency funds spent annually on perennials that make some state governments to pay little or no attention to the key phases of disaster management, preparation and prevention 21 . Nigeria is a country with a landed area of about 923,768 sq km 22 and a population of over 226 million people. It is therefore important to study the level of awareness of emergency measures in disaster situations and to establish the level of preparedness for emergency response in selected communities in Nigeria, as poorly managed disaster situations may lead to displacement of people with severe consequences. Within the context of emergencies, the safety of the community is somewhat determined by the effectiveness of emergency management and services, which are primarily supplied or controlled by the public sector 23, 24 . Thus, there is the need to enhance public enlightenment, advocacy and sensitization of communities on emergency preparedness and response at the grass root. Historically, communities were seen as passive entities whose involvement in emergency management was only as receivers of assistance when emergencies occurred. Also, the Government and its agencies were seen as the sole entity responsible for managing such emergencies. While humanitarian efforts are crucial in disaster situations, reducing the risk and vulnerability in the communities that are potential target points through preparedness and adequate response must not be neglected, as this would definitely bear its effect on development planning and sustainable growth in Nigeria. A crucial component of disaster risk reduction is encouraging preparedness from individual, organisational and industrial level 25 . This is because emergency management agencies do not have the resources to comprehensively deal with all emergencies; protecting every home and every life. Moreover, the impact of emergencies can be significantly reduced with the involvement of the community in planning, mitigation and preparation. Emergency management agencies can thus develop (in consultation with the community) the most appropriate and effective ways to manage emergency risks. The awareness of individuals about disaster risks influences their perception, as well as their level of preparedness towards emergencies 26 . In order to achieve effectiveness in disaster management in Nigeria, there is a need for the community to be aware, prepared and know how to respond adequately during disasters. Hence, this study was aimed at determining the level of awareness, preparedness and response of Nigerians to humanitarian disasters so as to know the intervention that is needed and to sensitise the policy makers through evidence- based data. Materials and Method This is a cross-sectional study employing multistage sampling method and random selection of 2 local government councils from one state in four ( 4 ) geopolitical zones in the country, between March and July 2014. A total of 1167 participants who are community dwellers of 18 years and above from Lagos, Anambra, Bayelsa and Benue States were directly interviewed. Information on demographic characteristics, emergency awareness, response, preparedness and disaster management challenges were obtained. The North-East and North-West States were not represented because of the insurgency in that region at the time of the study. Data obtained were clearly entered into passworded computers and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0. Chi-Square and multinomial logistic regression were among tools used in generating the results. Results are presented in tables and charts. Ethical approval was obtained by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Ethical Review Committee. Results Socio-demographic Distribution A total of 1107 participants were administered questionnaires of which 579 (52.3%) were male, 514 (46.4%) were female, while 14 (1.3%) of the participants did not indicate their gender. The mean age of respondents was 41 years for males (18–99 years) and 38 years for females (18–86 years) with the majority of the participants being less than 49 years old (73.3%). Of these, 792 (73.7%) were married, 204 (19.0%) were single and 57 (5.3%) were widowed. About 611 participants (55.2%) had a family size less than six, while 413 participants (37.3%) had a family size greater than six. The participants were drawn from Anambra, Benue, Bayelsa and Lagos states with numbers totalling 295 (26.6%), 287 (25.9%), 154 (13.9%) and 371 (33.5%), respectively. Among all the participants drawn from the four states, 578 (52.2%) were from the rural setting while 406 (36.7%) were from the urban setting (Table 1 ). Table 1 Socio-demographic Distribution of Participants Variables Frequency (n) Percentage (%) States Anambra 295 26.6 Benue 287 25.9 Bayelsa 154 13.9 Lagos 371 33.5 Gender Male 579 52.3 Female 514 46.4 Undisclosed 14 1.3 Age group ≤ 49 811 73.3 ≥ 50 273 24.7 Not stated 23 2.1 Religion Christian 865 78.1 Muslim 212 19.2 Others 30 2.7 Occupation Professionals 157 14.2 Trader 263 23.8 Artisan 85 7.7 Students 98 8.9 Unemployed 133 12.0 Farmers / Fishers 190 17.2 Pensioner 35 3.2 Business personnels 2 .2 Civil / Public servants 63 5.7 Others 81 7.3 Highest Level of Education Primary 188 17.0 Secondary 442 39.9 Tertiary 359 32.4 None 77 7.0 Mission/Quranic 19 1.7 Others 22 2.0 Marital status Single 204 19.0 Married 792 73.7 Separated 9 0.8 Divorced 11 1.0 Widowed 57 5.3 Cohabiting 2 0.2 Family size 6 413 37.3 Community Rural 578 52.2 Urban 406 36.7 Not stated 123 11.1 Various Disasters Experienced by Participants The disasters experienced by the participants in the four states of the six geo-political zones varied from flooding to earthquakes. From Table 2 below, the most experienced disasters amongst the participants were flooding 567 (53.5%), fire incidence 149 (14.1%) and rioting 124 (11.7%). The least experienced were bomb blast, hurricane and earthquake. Table 2 Disaster Experienced by Participants Type of Disaster Frequency % Flooding 567 53.5 Rioting 124 11.7 Fire incidence 149 14.1 Disease outbreak 38 3.6 Plane crash 15 1.4 Terrorism 14 1.3 War 8 0.8 Kidnapping 80 7.5 Building collapse 35 3.3 Bomb blast 6 0.6 Misconception 9 0.8 Hurricane 7 0.7 Earthquake 8 0.8 The results presented in Table 3 show that the humanitarian disasters experienced in the four states are statistically significant (p < 0.05). This implies that the level of occurrence of disasters experienced across the states were significantly different. Table 3 Various Disasters Experienced by Participants in the Four Different States Types of Disaster States P-value Lagos Anambra Benue Bayelsa Flooding 263 256 232 143 P < 0.05 Rioting 213 129 80 61 P < 0.05 Fire incidence 206 150 99 89 P < 0.05 Disease outbreak 113 104 54 55 P < 0.05 Plane crash 113 89 15 45 P < 0.05 Terrorism 17 60 4 15 P < 0.05 War 11 33 2 18 P < 0.05 Kidnapping 70 65 77 29 P < 0.05 Building collapse 120 78 41 33 P < 0.05 Bomb blast 4 12 2 7 P < 0.05 Misconception 3 7 3 3 P < 0.05 Hurricane 3 0 0 1 P < 0.05 Earthquake 3 1 4 0 P < 0.05 Level of Awareness of Humanitarian Disaster The participant’s awareness of humanitarian disasters were largely dependent on the source from which information was obtained about the disasters (Table 4 ). About 594 (25.5%) respondents were aware of humanitarian disasters due to their personal experience, 497 (21.3%) through the television, 418 (17.9%) through radio jingles and the least information was obtained through telephone calls (0.2%). Table 4 Participants’ Awareness of Humanitarian Disasters Source of information about disasters Frequency (n) Percent (%) Leaflets/fliers 79 3.4 Town crier 136 5.8 Radio jingles 418 17.9 Television 497 21.3 Friends 254 10.9 Personal experience 594 25.5 Print media 219 9.4 Internet 108 4.6 School education 13 0.6 General knowledge 3 0.1 Telephone call 5 0.2 Misconception 4 0.2 The data illustrated in Fig. 1 presents the humanitarian disasters recognized by participants across the four states, ranked from the most widely known to the least known. About 10 disasters were stated by the participants (Fig. 1 ) with flooding (80.1%), being the most recognised by participants. Others include, fire incidence (47.4%), rioting (36%), bomb blasts (22.8%), building collapse (21.9%), disease outbreak (21.6%), plane crash (20.5%), terrorism (5.8%), war (4.1%) and others (3%). Participants’ Knowledge on the Causes of Floods and how to Mitigate Floods to Prevent Disaster The causes of flooding as recorded by the participants during the study are given in Table 5 . A total of 577 (24.9%) responses affirmed that flooding was due to blocked drainages. Also, 430 (18.6%) respondents noted the opening of dams as a cause of flooding, and 494 (21.4%) responses were obtained due to heavy rainfall. Additionally, 206 responses (8.9%) attributed flood disasters to a lack of drainage and 606 responses (26.2%) attributed flooding to other causes. Different responses were obtained from the participants regarding what they had to do in case of flooding. Climbing to a higher area and shouting for help had the highest responses with 441 (33.2%) participants, followed by calling emergency numbers 342 (25.7%), swimming across the flood 125 (9.4%) and 104 (7.8%) responses on staying in the flood and holding on tightly to something. Responses suggesting other actions to take in case of flooding totalled 318 (23.9%). The participant’s responses obtained for the immediate effect of flooding were 922 (28.0%) for destruction of properties, 602 (18.3%) for loss of lives, 357 (10.9%) for disease outbreak, 553 (16.8%) for destruction of farmland, 323 (9.8%) for famine, 284 (8.6%) for disruption of school activities, 215 (6.5%) for adverse impact on income and 32 (0.9%) accounted for other immediate effects of flooding. Table 5 Participant’s Awareness on the Causes of Flood Causes of Flood Frequency (n) Percent (%) Blocked drainages 577 24.9 Opening of dams 430 18.6 Heavy rainfall 494 21.4 Lack of drainages 206 8.9 Others 606 26.2 What to do in case of flooding Climb to a higher area and shout for help 441 33.2 Swim across the flood 125 9.4 Stay in the flood and hold on tightly to something 104 7.8 Call emergency numbers 342 25.7 Others 318 23.9 Immediate effect of flood Destruction of properties 922 28.0 Loss of lives 602 18.3 Disease outbreak 357 10.9 Destruction of farmland 553 16.8 Famine 323 9.8 Disruption of school activities 284 8.6 Adverse impact on income 215 6.5 Others 32 0.9 Participant’s Knowledge on Prevention of Flood Disasters. The participants responded that floods can be prevented in different ways (Table 6 ). Out of 1929 total responses collated, 373 (19.3%) responses stated that public enlightenment can help to prevent floods (173 in Lagos, 68 in Anambra, 101 in Benue and 31 in Bayelsa). Moreover, 646 (33.5%) responses indicated that flooding could be prevented by clearing drainages. A breakdown by state analysis showed 268 in Lagos, 191 in Anambra, 87 in Benue and 100 in Bayelsa affirming flood can be prevented by drainage clearing. Only 261 (13.5%) responses were obtained for flood prevention through non-dumping of refuse in the drainage. A total of 131 (6.8%) responses affirmed that floods could be prevented if structures are not built on drainage channels. Table 6 Participant’s Knowledge of Preventing Flood Disasters. How flood can be prevented States Overall Lagos Anambra Benue Bayelsa Public enlightenment 173(46.4%) 68(18.2%) 101(27.1%) 31(8.3%) 373 (19.3%) Clearing of drainages 268(41.5%) 191(29.6%) 87(13.5%) 100(15.5%) 646 (33.5%) Non-dumping of refuse in the drainages 129(49.4%) 60(23.0%) 48(18.4%) 24(9.2%) 261 (13.5%) Building structures on drainage channels 113(54.6%) 16(7.7%) 58(28.0%) 20(9.7%) 207 (10.7%) Not building structures on drainage channels 21(16.0%) 62(47.3%) 19(14.5%) 29(22.1%) 131 (6.8%) Others 52 (16.7%) 127(40.8%) 95 (30.6%) 37 (11.9%) 311 (16.2%) 1929 (100%) Discussion This descriptive and observational study was set to determine the level of awareness, preparedness and response to humanitarian disasters especially flooding in Nigeria. Proactive preparation and planning are crucial for minimising disaster damage. Therefore, assessing and preparing for potential disasters in the country is essential, as reducing risks, as well as the short and long-term impacts of all-hazards emergencies on population health is a key responsibility for the public health sector 27 . The study participants primarily consisted of young adults, reflecting the current age distribution of Nigerian household heads 17 . Education plays a crucial role in disaster preparedness as highly educated individuals and societies tend to have better preparedness and response to disasters when compared to individuals with low levels of education 28 . Most participants in our study attained secondary and tertiary education, although the majority were drawn from rural areas and were mostly traders, farmers or fishermen (Table 1 ). Nonetheless, a significant portion of the population were professionals. This correlates not only with the literacy level of the Nigerian populace but also with their exposure to an environment that facilitates easy dissemination of information and the ability to assess disaster situations 29 . Nigeria as a country is most vulnerable to multiple humanitarian disasters ranking them as the fourth and the sixth among the countries that have the greatest number of people affected by such disasters 30 . In the current study, participants attested to having experienced flooding, rioting, disease outbreaks, terrorism, fire incidence, building collapse and bomb blasts among others. Our result was in concordance with other findings on humanitarian disasters experienced in Nigeria 31, 18 , 32 . Heavy rainfall is a cause of natural disasters (flooding) which is directly linked to weather patterns and climate change 33 . Consistent with Nigeria's vulnerability, flooding emerged as the most common disaster type identified by participants across all states assessed in this study and this was corroborated by previous studies 34, 12, 35, 36 . Our findings also align with research by Fredrick and Beneah, 2018 37 highlighting the increasing frequency of floods worldwide due to climate change and human activities. Flooding remains one of the most common and devastating natural disasters globally, affecting millions of people annually 38 . Understanding the causes of floods is crucial for developing effective mitigation and response strategies. Our findings further revealed that blocked drainages are Nigeria's most prevalent cause of flooding. Similarly, multiple studies indicate that the main cause of flooding in urban and rural areas was blocked drainage systems caused by inappropriate dumping of refuse, poor waste management techniques and insufficient drainage infrastructures 39, 40 . Another crisis which can lead to downstream flooding if not properly managed is the opening of dams, which was a significant cause of flooding from our findings. A study conducted by Ghazali, et al ., 2021 41 highlighted that controlled release of water from dams was necessary to prevent structural failure. However, the opening of dams would pose less threat if drainages were properly decongested and there was improved communication between dam operators and communities. Understanding public response to flooding was vital for emergency planning and safety. Our results indicated several actions people could take when these disasters occur. These responses reflected a mixed awareness of effective flood safety practices. Climbing to higher ground was recommended; however, calling an emergency was crucial and indicated some level of preparedness and awareness 42 . This study showed that the less recommended action, such as swimming across floods, suggested a need for better education on flood safety. Also, our results indicated several immediate effects of flooding, with the most prevalent being the destruction of properties. Hence, national awareness of the causes and effects of flooding, as well as their responses highlights both strengths and areas for improvement in public education on flood safety practices and investing in infrastructure development which can mitigate the impacts of flooding. As much as the occurrence of natural disasters is mostly inevitable, humans can play a vital role in preventing or reducing the severity of these disasters, especially in situations of flood 43 . From Table 5 , clearing of drainage yielded the highest suggestion by participants which deduced that participants knew the consequences of having blocked drainages in situations of flood. Public enlightenment was also a suggested action to be considered in preventing floods. This showed that continued awareness campaigns tailored to the local context (easiest level of understanding / lay-man knowledge) could contribute to the mitigation of flood by community dwellers. Also, participants suggested the avoidance of erecting and constructing buildings on drainage channels as one way of preventing floods, because these erected structures pose an obstruction on the drainage channels 44 . The data from this study further reveals rioting as the second most common disaster experienced, with a significant concentration in Lagos compared to the other states. This substantial disparity in Lagos warrants further investigation. Previous research has shown that fire outbreaks are a global phenomenon 45 . According to this study, fire outbreak accounts for the third most occurred disaster type with Lagos state having the highest occurrence. Lagos state is a highly urbanised area and so the results of this study are not surprising, Akanmu et al. , 2023 46 also stated that fire disasters are prone to occur in urban areas. The spread of information among people in a community differs according to each settlement's exposure and development, which affects their means of communication. Effective information behaviour enables people to make knowledgeable decisions 47 . Information and knowledge of disasters are spread by various means. Multiple studies reported that the most popular sources of information are social media, the internet, television, radio, family and friends, books and school resources 48, 49 . However, our study showed that the most popular source of information was personal experience (Table 3 ). Hence, it is a key factor in determining the level of disaster preparedness among individuals, as households which have experienced losses and damages from previous disasters know the potential harmful impacts of these disasters and thus become prepared 50, 51 . It is important to note that while personal experience tops the chart of the source of information on disaster, traditional media plays a significant role, with television and radio jingles coming in as the second and third most frequent sources of information. This indicates their continued importance in disseminating disaster awareness amongst other messages as the fourth estate of the realm. An area of concern in this finding is that school education was the least reported source of disaster information. This indicated a potential gap in disaster preparedness in education within the school curriculum. This was similar to a report by Patel et al ., 2023 52 where it highlighted how students were the least-considered group in a community when plans were being made for emergency preparedness. Despite the rapid growth of the internet and social media in Nigeria, the internet as a source of disaster awareness had a relatively low reach 53 . For the past 15 years, the public had used social media during emergencies. Social media is an emerging, substantial, and frequently accurate mode of public engagement and backchannel communication. As a result, social media analysis in emergencies has become commonplace. While comparing major studies on social media during emergencies, it became clear that almost no emergency arises without publications on the use and relevance of social media 54 . Hence, individual awareness about disasters should be encouraged through the use of platforms on the internet and social media, as this has been shown to be a good platform for sharing knowledge in the face of natural and manmade disasters 55 . Conclusion The effects of disasters are very tremendous, as they can lead to loss of lives and properties. Our study concluded that the levels of awareness, attitude and readiness of the people from the four geopolitical zones concerning disaster preparedness were moderate, showing that more work needs to be done especially in the area of awareness and training. They are important to minimise the impact of humanitarian disasters on communities. Initiatives focused on improving knowledge, awareness, and readiness should be enhanced. To mitigate, prepare, and respond to these calamities, active involvement and concern of the community and government should also be intensified. These can be addressed by developing a strong educational and training strategy across multiple platforms such as school education, the internet, media and more. This study highlights the need for consistent and regular disaster awareness towards disaster preparedness as an effective strategy in handling situations during emergencies. Declarations Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate Ethical approval was obtained from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Institutional Ethical Review Board (IRB/14/255). The informed consent were duly obtained from each participants after proper education and explanation on the goal of the project and before questionnaire administration Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this manuscript. Funding Not applicable. Authors' contributions Amoo OS 1 , Awoderu OB 1 , Moses B 1 , Afocha EE 1 , Adedeji AM 1 , Ajayi M. B 1 , Bamidele TA 1 , Oparaugo CT 1 , Fesobi W 1 , Fowora MA 1 , David N 1 , Mebaghandun AV 1 , Umoh EU 1 , Musa AZ 1 , Akinsinde K 1 , Ajayi A 1 , Smith SI 1 . AOS- Conceptualisation, proposal writing, questionnaire development, field work and manuscript writing. AOB- Field work, proposal writing, questionnaire development MB- Field work AEE- Field work AAM- Data entry, Data Analysis AMB- Field work BTA- Field work OCT- Field work FW- Field work FMA- Proposal writing, questionnaire development, Field work DN- Proposal writing, questionnaire development MAV- Manuscript writing, proofreading UEU- Manuscript writing, proofreading MAZ- Data analysis AK- Field work AA- Field work SSI- Conceptualization, supervision and proofreading. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledged the NIMR management for the support in executing this project. Authors' Information (optional) References Chaudhary MT, Piracha A. (2021). Natural Disasters—Origins, Impacts, management. Encyclopedia. 1(4):1101–1131. Madanian S, Norris A, and Parry D. (2020). Disaster eHealth: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22(10). https://doi.org/10.2196/18310. Ogunleye O, Arohunsoro S, Ibitoye OA. (2023). Disaster vulnerability and poverty level among residents of Lagos State, Nigeria. International Journal for Disaster and Development Interface. 3(2). https://doi.org/10.53824/ijddi.v3i2.51. Smith, D. F. Q., & Casadevall, A. (2022). Disaster microbiology—a new field of study. MBio, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01680-22. Brooks, S., Amlôt, R., Rubin, G. J., & Greenberg, N. (2018). Psychological Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth in Disaster-Exposed Organisations: Overview of the Literature. BMJ Military Health. 166(1), 52–56. Nnamdi AR, Agetue FN, Raphael O. (2019). An overview of emergency preparedness, response and disaster management in Nigeria: A study of NEMA. World Educators Forum: An International Journal, 11(1). National Disaster Risk Management Policy. (2018). (https://nema.gov.ng) visited on 20th of June, 2024 at 11:09am. Joshua I, Makama J, Joshua W, Audu O, and Nmadu A. (2014). Disasters in Nigeria: a public health perspective. Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care. 26(1);59–75. World Health Organisation (WHO). (2007). Risk reduction and emergency preparedness (https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43736/9789241595896_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y). Accessed 28th May, 2024. Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). (2017). Economic, Losses, Poverty & Disasters 1998-2017. United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction. Masih, I., Maskey, S., Mussá, F. E. F., & Trambauer, P. (2014). A review of droughts on the African continent: a geospatial and long-term perspective. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18(9), 3635–3649. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3635-2014. Okafor JC. Flood, livelihood displacement, and poverty in Nigeria: plights of flood victims, 2012–2018. (2021). In African handbook of climate change adaptation (pp. 2535-2545). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Akukwe T, Krhoda G, Oluoko-Odingo A. (2018). ‘Principal Component Analysis of the Effects of Flooding on Food Security in Agrarian Communities of South Eastern Nigeria’, International Journal of Hydrology. 2(2):205–212. Oyebode, O. J., Oyebode, F. A., & Elesa, B. L. (2022). Flood Risk Assessment and Disaster Management through Data Applications and Engineering Interventions. Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management. Adigun, O. W. (2023). Communal Violence in Nigeria, 2014–21: Mapping, modeling, and trends. African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review/African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review, 13(2), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.2979/africonfpeacrevi.13.2.01 Abolarin J, and Adedeji AA. (2016). "investigating earthquake magnitude by seismic signals and wavelet transform in optimal design," Web Journal of Science and Engineering Application. 305- 322. Oluwafemi JO, Ofuyatan OM, Ede AN, Oyebisi SO, Akinwumi II, B. (2018). Review of Earthquakes in Nigeria: An Understudied Area. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology. 9(8);1023-1033. Nwakwou, G. C. (2019). Disaster risk Profile of Nigeria. Emergency and Disaster Reports .6(4);1–89. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/7912318.pdf Elele GC, Elele UA. (2023). Analysis of Plane Crash in Nigeria and Lessons Learned From Specific Disaster: Dana Air 0992, 5n-Ram Crash. International Journal of Advanced Research, 11(01). 1246–1255. Ajayi OO. (2022). Incessant Building Collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria: Beyond A Legal Framework. Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of Commercial and Property Law (NAU.JCPL). 9(3): 2736-0342. Adedeji OB, Okerentugba PO, Innocent-Adiele HC, Okonko IO. (2012). Benefits, Public Health Hazards and Risks Associated With Fish Consumption. New York Science Journal. 5(9) 33-61. Onah EI. Nigeria: (2020). A country profile. Journal of International Studies/Journal of International Studies. 10. https://doi.org/10.32890/jis.10.2014.7954 Waugh, W. L., & Streib, G. (2006). Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management. PAR. Public Administration Review/Public Administration Review. 66(s1):131–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00673.x Kapucu, N., Arslan, T., & Demiroz, F. (2010). Collaborative emergency management and national emergency management network. Disaster Prevention and Management. 19(4):452–468. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561011070376 Paton, D. (2019). Disaster risk reduction: Psychological perspectives on preparedness. Australian Journal of Psychology. 71(4): 327–341. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12237 Elum ZA, Lawal O. (2022). Flood risk perception, disaster preparedness and response in flood-prone urban communities of Rivers State. Jamba: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. 14(1). Khan Y, O’Sullivan T, Brown A, Tracey S, Gibson J, Généreux M, Henry B, and Schwartz B. (2018). Public health emergency preparedness: a framework to promote resilience. BMC Public Health. 18(1). Hoffmann R, Blecha D. (2020). Education and disaster vulnerability in Southeast Asia: evidence and policy implications. Sustainability. 12(4); 1401.https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041401 Lamon S, Knowles O, Hendy A, Story I, and Currey J. (2020). Active learning to improve student learning experiences in an online postgraduate course. Frontiers in Education. 5. doi.org/ 10.3389/feduc.2020.598560 Shakeri, E., Vizvari, B., & Nazerian, R. (2021). Comparative analysis of disaster management between India and Nigeria. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 63:102448. ISSN 2212-4209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102448. Adadu, M. E., & Ianna, M. S. ( 2019). Disaster management in academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria. Library and Information Perspectives and Research.1(1), 59 – 69. Eneh NE, Bakare NS, Akpuokwe NU, Adeniyi NO. (2024). Cross-jurisdictional disaster preparedness: A Nigeria-USA data-analytical approach. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews. 21(2), 1822–1829 Awuni S, Francis A, Benjamin D, Ratna C, Diana C, Miroslav H. (2023). Managing the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in Ghana. Heliyon. 9(5): e15491. ISSN 2405-8440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15491. Obi R, Nwachukwu MU, Okeke DC, and Jiburum U. (2021). Indigenous flood control and management knowledge and flood disaster risk reduction in Nigeria’s coastal communities: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 55(102079). https://doi.org /10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102079 Thurston, A. M., Stöckl, H., & Ranganathan, M. (2021). Natural hazards, disasters and violence against women and girls: a global mixed-methods systematic review. BMJ Global Health. 6(4): e004377. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004377 Mfon, NIE, Oguike NMC, Eteng NSU, and Etim NNM. (2022). Causes and effects of flooding in Nigeria: a review. East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. 1(9): 1777–1792. https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v1i9.1261 Fredrick, A., & Beneah, E. (2018). Increasing frequency of floods worldwide due to climate change and human activities. Journal of Environmental Studies. 35(2):123-137 Umar, N., & Gray, A. (2022). Flooding in Nigeria: a review of its occurrence and impacts and approaches to modelling flood data. International Journal of Environmental Studies. 80(3): 540–561. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2022.2081471 Oleabhiele EJ, and Dotimi DE. (2020). Indiscriminate Refuse Dumping and Flooding In Amassoma Community, Nigeria. African Journal of Health Safety and Environment. 1(1);11–21. https://doi.org/10.52417/ajhse.v1i1.28 Nasir S, RKS, and Yusof, Y. (2024). Waste Management System- A comparative study of waste management systems in Malaysia and Canada. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences. 13(2). Ghazali S, Rahman ZA, Halim SA. (2021). Managing dam-induced flooding: Lessons from recent case studies. Journal oh Hydraulic Engineering. 47(2): 101-118 Di Baldassarre, G, Heidi, K, Sergiy, V, Jeroen, A, Karsten, A-N, Marlies, B, Bates,P, Borga, M, Botzen,W, Bubeck, P, De Marchi, B, Llasat, C, Mazzoleni, M, Molinari, D, Mondino, E, Mård, J, Petrucci, O, Scolobig, A, Viglione, A. and Ward, PJ. (2020). An Interdisciplinary Research Agenda to Explore the Unintended Consequences of Structural Flood Protection. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,. 24(6), 2873-2877. Hamilton K, Demant D, Peden AE, Hagger MS. (2020). A systematic review of human behaviour in and around floodwater. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.47: 101561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101561 Francisco TH, Menezes VC, Guedes LA, Maquera G, Neto CV, Longo OC, Chinelli CK, Soares APC. 2022. The Main Challenges for Improving Urban Drainage Systems from the Perspective of Brazilian Professionals. Infrastructures. 2023 8(1): 5. Jones, MW, Abatzoglou JT, Veraverbeke S, Andela N, Lasslop G, Forkel M, Smith AJP, Burton C, Betts RA, Van Der Werf GR, Sitch S, Canadell J G, Santín C, Kolden C, Doerr SH and Quere CL. (2022). Global and regional trends and drivers of fire under climate change. Reviews of Geophysics. 60(3): e2020RG000726. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020rg000726 Akanmu W, Arokoyo S. (2023). Fire Hazards Awareness and Preparedness among the Residents of Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, IRE Journals. 6(12). Sulaiman, Shah, S., Khan, S., Bussmann, R. W., Ali, M., Hussain, D., & Hussain, W. (2020). Quantitative Ethnobotanical study of Indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used by the tribal communities of Gokand Valley, District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Plants. 9(8). 1001. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9081001 Olaimat AN, Aolymat I, Shahbaz HM, and Holley RA. (2020). Knowledge and information sources about COVID-19 among university students in Jordan: a Cross-Sectional study. Frontiers in Public Health. 8:254. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00254. PMID: 32574314; PMCID: PMC7274134. Alkalash SH, Alamer HA, Allihyani AM, Alhazmi AS, Alharthi RM, and Bugis AM. (2023). Knowledge of and Attitude towards Disaster Preparedness among Secondary School Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 15(1): e33926. Hoffmann R, and Muttarak R. (2017). Learn from the past, prepare for the future: Impacts of education and experience on disaster preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand. World Development. 96: 32-51. Kato T. (2021). Sharing experience by residents of past disaster sites: Effects of time from disasters and types of experience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 61: 102390. ISSN 2212-4209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102390 Patel V, Fancourt D, Furukawa TA, and Kola L. (2023). Reimagining the journey to recovery: The COVID-19 pandemic and global mental health. PLoS Medicine. 20(4). https://doi.org/1 0.1371/journal.pmed.1004224 Ogbuabor JE, Agu MN, and Kalu Uİ. (2017). The Social Impacts of Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues. 7(2);524-529. Reuter, C., & Kaufhold, M. (2017). Fifteen years of social media in emergencies: A retrospective review and future directions for crisis Informatics. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(1):41–57. Ahmed YA, Ahmad MN, Ahmad, N, Zakaria NH. (2019). Social media for knowledge-sharing: A systematic literature review. Telematics and Informatics. 37: 72–112. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4731196","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":337045270,"identity":"bb3d1355-ff4c-4615-9d7c-e99b8ee5170a","order_by":0,"name":"Olufemi Samuel Amoo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9hkgskKCR569gYGZKC08N0DkGRs5w54DpGhhbEszZriRQKwW6eajm3nYDic2znxj+LmgwoaBv707Ab8WmWNpt3l4Die2S+cYS884k8YgcebsBrxa7CVyzG7zSABtmZ1jIM3bdpjBQCIXvxYeifxvt3kMDic23Dxj/JtILTlst3kSQN7nMSPWljSzm3MOgAI5rcya50waD0G/8EgkP7vx9h8oKg9vvs1TYSPH396LXwsIMPGAKQ4DsBkElYMA4w8wxf6AKNWjYBSMglEw8gAAbTxHJYpk8w4AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Olufemi","middleName":"Samuel","lastName":"Amoo","suffix":""},{"id":337045276,"identity":"afd645ce-b93a-4569-9038-f937d08e41d2","order_by":1,"name":"Oluwatoyin Bamidele Awoderu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Oluwatoyin","middleName":"Bamidele","lastName":"Awoderu","suffix":""},{"id":337045279,"identity":"237c03cc-c370-43ff-9319-13c881fef04e","order_by":2,"name":"Moses Bamidele","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Moses","middleName":"","lastName":"Bamidele","suffix":""},{"id":337045286,"identity":"2630ab8c-7698-425e-b7fc-f40e7756e5ad","order_by":3,"name":"Ebelechukwu Eugenia Afocha","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ebelechukwu","middleName":"Eugenia","lastName":"Afocha","suffix":""},{"id":337045289,"identity":"37d4be64-29a7-4602-8635-3fdb88b353d0","order_by":4,"name":"Abimbola Modepe Adedeji","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abimbola","middleName":"Modepe","lastName":"Adedeji","suffix":""},{"id":337045290,"identity":"8c57c52f-2fc4-469e-bc62-28e4e21fb325","order_by":5,"name":"Morakinyo Bamikole Ajayi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Morakinyo","middleName":"Bamikole","lastName":"Ajayi","suffix":""},{"id":337045291,"identity":"5899ef7c-4f14-4886-a801-72a0fba480ed","order_by":6,"name":"Tajudeen Akanji Bamidele","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tajudeen","middleName":"Akanji","lastName":"Bamidele","suffix":""},{"id":337045292,"identity":"a36f488b-d591-489a-920e-d71160abff23","order_by":7,"name":"Chinedum Taahie Oparaugo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chinedum","middleName":"Taahie","lastName":"Oparaugo","suffix":""},{"id":337045293,"identity":"edebdb3d-0006-4086-b07f-5012d9622c21","order_by":8,"name":"Toun Wuraola Fesobi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Toun","middleName":"Wuraola","lastName":"Fesobi","suffix":""},{"id":337045294,"identity":"c1a75e40-28f2-404b-82b0-ef4799aa72ad","order_by":9,"name":"Muinah Adenike Fowora","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Muinah","middleName":"Adenike","lastName":"Fowora","suffix":""},{"id":337045295,"identity":"d7cd701c-df22-40ea-a097-88e3a8247395","order_by":10,"name":"Nkiru David","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nkiru","middleName":"","lastName":"David","suffix":""},{"id":337045296,"identity":"82af2a4e-6400-4aeb-9dc6-9deb1c3200dc","order_by":11,"name":"Amonetsone Victoria Mebaghandun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amonetsone","middleName":"Victoria","lastName":"Mebaghandun","suffix":""},{"id":337045297,"identity":"6b3afac8-3996-4151-91a2-532aab5007cc","order_by":12,"name":"Edikan Usiwoma Umoh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Edikan","middleName":"Usiwoma","lastName":"Umoh","suffix":""},{"id":337045298,"identity":"9f3647d2-6898-4e64-955a-fbad8a694497","order_by":13,"name":"Adesola Zaidat Musa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adesola","middleName":"Zaidat","lastName":"Musa","suffix":""},{"id":337045299,"identity":"784245ee-7ebb-4d33-b176-68406e01149c","order_by":14,"name":"Akinsinde Kehinde","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akinsinde","middleName":"","lastName":"Kehinde","suffix":""},{"id":337045300,"identity":"e5b55c79-aceb-46e2-bc67-13c6b1290088","order_by":15,"name":"Abraham Ajayi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abraham","middleName":"","lastName":"Ajayi","suffix":""},{"id":337045301,"identity":"c3337fc0-9f5f-44d6-8ced-b7179e33c5cf","order_by":16,"name":"Stella Ifeanyi Smith","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Institute of Medical Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stella","middleName":"Ifeanyi","lastName":"Smith","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-12 15:11:23","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":62799154,"identity":"7ae7431a-ee24-4650-b9a5-1ca31a1d38f4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-19 15:38:41","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":63732,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType of Disaster known to Participants\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4731196/v1/9a9332c8c59a162e0d0a09cc.jpg"},{"id":65164502,"identity":"474cca7c-3b9b-4749-9d7f-19cedfe160c0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-09-24 09:39:17","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":986673,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4731196/v1/1e5c862f-b9b3-4f22-89fc-cc063a73c6fd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Assessment of Awareness and Level of Preparedness for Humanitarian Disasters in Nigeria","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eDisaster is a sudden, calamitous event, bringing great damage, loss, destruction and devastation to life and property\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e. They are events with destructive impacts that pose threats to public health and the environment, thereby causing disruptions and obstacles to regular operations\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e. Disaster is the combination of a hazard and the vulnerable conditions of a population\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e. It can inflict great damage (technological, physical, financial, psychological, and health burdens) and destruction in the areas where it occurs and some of these disasters occur naturally such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e. This results in a great deal of loss and mass destruction that can overwhelm national medical resources and prevent the delivery of comprehensive and definitive medical care to affected people in affected areas\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the New York State Department of Health, emergency preparedness is defined as the steps taken to ensure safety before, during and after an emergency or natural disaster\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e. It is a continuous process in which action, funding, partnerships and political commitment at all levels must be sustained. However, this relies on all stakeholders working together effectively to plan, invest and implement priority actions. Emergencies and disasters impact population health as we face diverse hazards influenced by complexities in our environment and demographics. The impact of any hazard can vary significantly based on the level of mitigation, socio-economic factors affecting the losses, the degree of preparedness, and the ability to recover\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e. The occurrence of disasters in Nigeria continues to increase in magnitude, leaving severe consequences and material losses to individuals and communities\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. Due to weak and under protective environment, Nigeria is vulnerable to both natural and human-induced disasters, some of which are rapid, and slow in onset, resulting in catastrophic situations which lead to loss of lives and properties and degradation of the environment\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e. These disasters occur in the form of flooding, drought, desertification, epidemics, coastal erosion, dam failure, building collapse, oil spillage, maritime collision or accident, bomb explosions, communal clash, fire outbreaks, air crashes and boat mishap, amongst others\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. The severity and impact of disasters globally has increased exponentially, with an increment in the total number of catastrophic events showing a trend line from approximately 450 to 800 major emergencies per year\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e. This increase in the severity of disaster is mostly felt in developing countries due to their high vulnerability caused by insufficient emergency preparedness\u003csup\u003e9, 10\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNigeria has a National Contingency Plan (NCP) which is a document developed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, supported by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), to provide basis for coordination of humanitarian responses in the event of catastrophic disaster for quick response by the Federal Government of Nigeria\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. This plan is a first step towards mitigating the impact of quick onset disasters when the level of forecast cannot be ascertained. It creates the platform to bring several humanitarian players together, act as a framework for making contingency arrangements for disaster response and ensures a wider range of responses are covered. As documented by NEMA, disasters in Nigeria history include; epidemics and disease outbreaks like cholera, malaria and meningitis\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e and droughts in Sudan-Sahel zone of the country in 1972\u0026ndash;1974 and 1982-1984\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e. Floods in Shiroro and Kaduna in 2003; Gombe in 2004; Sokoto, Kebbi, Lagos, Ogun and most of the country in 2010; Enugu, Ogun, Delta, Niger, Kano and Bayelsa floods in 2018, and Adamawa flood in 2023 as reported by Okafor 2021\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e and Akukwe et al\u003csup\u003e13\u003c/sup\u003e. Landslides in Agwu, Enugu state in 2005, 2006, 2008 and the 2009 landslide in Agwagune, Cross River State\u003csup\u003e14\u003c/sup\u003e, Conflicts (ethnic, political and religious) in Kaduna, Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Benue, Delta, Anambra, Ondo, Osun and Ogun state\u003csup\u003e15\u003c/sup\u003e and Earthquakes in Ibadan in 1939, Lagos in 2002, Abeokuta in 2011 and Kaduna, Oyo and Bayelsa in 2016\u003csup\u003e16,17\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNigeria has also been affected by various kinds of technological disasters such as; bomb explosions, building collapses and air crashes. According to the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) and the Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Office-Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (OFDA-CRED) International Disaster Database, a total of 329 technological disasters were documented to have occurred in Nigeria between the period of 1965-2015\u003csup\u003e18\u003c/sup\u003e. Other technological disasters experienced include: the 2005 Sosoliso air crash in Rivers State, the Aviation Development Company (ADC) air crash in Abuja, the 2012 Dana air crash in Lagos\u003csup\u003e19\u003c/sup\u003e, the Ikotun building collapse in 2014, the Jos school building collapse in 2014, the 2015 Helicopter air crash at Oworonshoki area of Lagos\u003csup\u003e18\u003c/sup\u003e, and the 21 storey building collapse in Ikoyi\u003csup\u003e20\u003c/sup\u003e. The management of disaster in Nigeria has been perceived by many as primarily humanitarian relief supplies with huge emergency funds spent annually on perennials that make some state governments to pay little or no attention to the key phases of disaster management, preparation and prevention \u003csup\u003e21\u003c/sup\u003e. Nigeria is a country with a landed area of about 923,768 sq km\u003csup\u003e22\u003c/sup\u003e and a population of over 226\u0026nbsp;million people. It is therefore important to study the level of awareness of emergency measures in disaster situations and to establish the level of preparedness for emergency response in selected communities in Nigeria, as poorly managed disaster situations may lead to displacement of people with severe consequences. Within the context of emergencies, the safety of the community is somewhat determined by the effectiveness of emergency management and services, which are primarily supplied or controlled by the public sector \u003csup\u003e23, 24\u003c/sup\u003e. Thus, there is the need to enhance public enlightenment, advocacy and sensitization of communities on emergency preparedness and response at the grass root. Historically, communities were seen as passive entities whose involvement in emergency management was only as receivers of assistance when emergencies occurred. Also, the Government and its agencies were seen as the sole entity responsible for managing such emergencies. While humanitarian efforts are crucial in disaster situations, reducing the risk and vulnerability in the communities that are potential target points through preparedness and adequate response must not be neglected, as this would definitely bear its effect on development planning and sustainable growth in Nigeria.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA crucial component of disaster risk reduction is encouraging preparedness from individual, organisational and industrial level\u003csup\u003e25\u003c/sup\u003e. This is because emergency management agencies do not have the resources to comprehensively deal with all emergencies; protecting every home and every life. Moreover, the impact of emergencies can be significantly reduced with the involvement of the community in planning, mitigation and preparation. Emergency management agencies can thus develop (in consultation with the community) the most appropriate and effective ways to manage emergency risks.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe awareness of individuals about disaster risks influences their perception, as well as their level of preparedness towards emergencies\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e. In order to achieve effectiveness in disaster management in Nigeria, there is a need for the community to be aware, prepared and know how to respond adequately during disasters. Hence, this study was aimed at determining the level of awareness, preparedness and response of Nigerians to humanitarian disasters so as to know the intervention that is needed and to sensitise the policy makers through evidence- based data.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Method","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a cross-sectional study employing multistage sampling method and random selection of 2 local government councils from one state in four (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) geopolitical zones in the country, between March and July 2014. A total of 1167 participants who are community dwellers of 18 years and above from Lagos, Anambra, Bayelsa and Benue States were directly interviewed. Information on demographic characteristics, emergency awareness, response, preparedness and disaster management challenges were obtained. The North-East and North-West States were not represented because of the insurgency in that region at the time of the study. Data obtained were clearly entered into passworded computers and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0. Chi-Square and multinomial logistic regression were among tools used in generating the results. Results are presented in tables and charts. Ethical approval was obtained by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Ethical Review Committee.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSocio-demographic Distribution\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 1107 participants were administered questionnaires of which 579 (52.3%) were male, 514 (46.4%) were female, while 14 (1.3%) of the participants did not indicate their gender. The mean age of respondents was 41 years for males (18\u0026ndash;99 years) and 38 years for females (18\u0026ndash;86 years) with the majority of the participants being less than 49 years old (73.3%). Of these, 792 (73.7%) were married, 204 (19.0%) were single and 57 (5.3%) were widowed. About 611 participants (55.2%) had a family size less than six, while 413 participants (37.3%) had a family size greater than six. The participants were drawn from Anambra, Benue, Bayelsa and Lagos states with numbers totalling 295 (26.6%), 287 (25.9%), 154 (13.9%) and 371 (33.5%), respectively. Among all the participants drawn from the four states, 578 (52.2%) were from the rural setting while 406 (36.7%) were from the urban setting (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-demographic Distribution of Participants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStates\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnambra\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e295\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBenue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e287\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBayelsa\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e154\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLagos\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e371\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGender\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e579\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e514\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndisclosed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge group\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e811\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e273\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot stated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e865\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMuslim\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e212\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessionals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrader\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArtisan\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnemployed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e133\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFarmers / Fishers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePensioner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBusiness personnels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCivil / Public servants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHighest Level of Education\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e188\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e442\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e359\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNone\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMission/Quranic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarital status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e204\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e792\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeparated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDivorced\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidowed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabiting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily size\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e611\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e413\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCommunity\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e578\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e406\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot stated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eVarious Disasters Experienced by Participants\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe disasters experienced by the participants in the four states of the six geo-political zones varied from flooding to earthquakes. From Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e below, the most experienced disasters amongst the participants were flooding 567 (53.5%), fire incidence 149 (14.1%) and rioting 124 (11.7%). The least experienced were bomb blast, hurricane and earthquake.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisaster Experienced by Participants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eType of Disaster\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFlooding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e567\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRioting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e124\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFire incidence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e149\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease outbreak\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlane crash\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTerrorism\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWar\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKidnapping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding collapse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBomb blast\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMisconception\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHurricane\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarthquake\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e show that the humanitarian disasters experienced in the four states are statistically significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). This implies that the level of occurrence of disasters experienced across the states were significantly different.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVarious Disasters Experienced by Participants in the Four Different States\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTypes of Disaster\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStates\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLagos\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnambra\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBenue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBayelsa\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFlooding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e263\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e256\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e232\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e143\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRioting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e213\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFire incidence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease outbreak\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlane crash\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTerrorism\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWar\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKidnapping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding collapse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBomb blast\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMisconception\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHurricane\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarthquake\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLevel of Awareness of Humanitarian Disaster\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe participant\u0026rsquo;s awareness of humanitarian disasters were largely dependent on the source from which information was obtained about the disasters (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). About 594 (25.5%) respondents were aware of humanitarian disasters due to their personal experience, 497 (21.3%) through the television, 418 (17.9%) through radio jingles and the least information was obtained through telephone calls (0.2%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants\u0026rsquo; Awareness of Humanitarian Disasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource of information about disasters\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercent (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeaflets/fliers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTown crier\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e136\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRadio jingles\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e418\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTelevision\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e497\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFriends\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersonal experience\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e594\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrint media\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e219\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternet\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e108\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSchool education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGeneral knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTelephone call\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMisconception\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data illustrated in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents the humanitarian disasters recognized by participants across the four states, ranked from the most widely known to the least known. About 10 disasters were stated by the participants (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) with flooding (80.1%), being the most recognised by participants. Others include, fire incidence (47.4%), rioting (36%), bomb blasts (22.8%), building collapse (21.9%), disease outbreak (21.6%), plane crash (20.5%), terrorism (5.8%), war (4.1%) and others (3%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eParticipants\u0026rsquo; Knowledge on the Causes of Floods and how to Mitigate Floods to Prevent Disaster\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe causes of flooding as recorded by the participants during the study are given in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. A total of 577 (24.9%) responses affirmed that flooding was due to blocked drainages. Also, 430 (18.6%) respondents noted the opening of dams as a cause of flooding, and 494 (21.4%) responses were obtained due to heavy rainfall. Additionally, 206 responses (8.9%) attributed flood disasters to a lack of drainage and 606 responses (26.2%) attributed flooding to other causes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDifferent responses were obtained from the participants regarding what they had to do in case of flooding. Climbing to a higher area and shouting for help had the highest responses with 441 (33.2%) participants, followed by calling emergency numbers 342 (25.7%), swimming across the flood 125 (9.4%) and 104 (7.8%) responses on staying in the flood and holding on tightly to something. Responses suggesting other actions to take in case of flooding totalled 318 (23.9%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe participant\u0026rsquo;s responses obtained for the immediate effect of flooding were 922 (28.0%) for destruction of properties, 602 (18.3%) for loss of lives, 357 (10.9%) for disease outbreak, 553 (16.8%) for destruction of farmland, 323 (9.8%) for famine, 284 (8.6%) for disruption of school activities, 215 (6.5%) for adverse impact on income and 32 (0.9%) accounted for other immediate effects of flooding.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant\u0026rsquo;s Awareness on the Causes of Flood\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCauses of Flood\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercent (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlocked drainages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e577\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpening of dams\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e430\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeavy rainfall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e494\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of drainages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOthers\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e606\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat to do in case of flooding\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClimb to a higher area and shout for help\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e441\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSwim across the flood\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStay in the flood and hold on tightly to something\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCall emergency numbers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e342\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e318\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eImmediate effect of flood\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDestruction of properties\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e922\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLoss of lives\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e602\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisease outbreak\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e357\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDestruction of farmland\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e553\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e323\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisruption of school activities\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e284\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdverse impact on income\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e215\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eParticipant\u0026rsquo;s Knowledge on Prevention of Flood Disasters.\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe participants responded that floods can be prevented in different ways (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Out of 1929 total responses collated, 373 (19.3%) responses stated that public enlightenment can help to prevent floods (173 in Lagos, 68 in Anambra, 101 in Benue and 31 in Bayelsa). Moreover, 646 (33.5%) responses indicated that flooding could be prevented by clearing drainages. A breakdown by state analysis showed 268 in Lagos, 191 in Anambra, 87 in Benue and 100 in Bayelsa affirming flood can be prevented by drainage clearing. Only 261 (13.5%) responses were obtained for flood prevention through non-dumping of refuse in the drainage. A total of 131 (6.8%) responses affirmed that floods could be prevented if structures are not built on drainage channels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant\u0026rsquo;s Knowledge of Preventing Flood Disasters.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow flood can be prevented\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStates\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLagos\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnambra\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBenue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBayelsa\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic enlightenment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e173(46.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68(18.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101(27.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(8.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e373 (19.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClearing of drainages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e268(41.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e191(29.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87(13.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100(15.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e646 (33.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-dumping of refuse in the drainages\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e129(49.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60(23.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48(18.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24(9.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e261 (13.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding structures on drainage channels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e113(54.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16(7.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58(28.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20(9.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e207 (10.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot building structures on drainage channels\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(16.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62(47.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19(14.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(22.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e131 (6.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (16.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e127(40.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95 (30.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37 (11.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e311 (16.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1929 (100%)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis descriptive and observational study was set to determine the level of awareness, preparedness and response to humanitarian disasters especially flooding in Nigeria. Proactive preparation and planning are crucial for minimising disaster damage. Therefore, assessing and preparing for potential disasters in the country is essential, as reducing risks, as well as the short and long-term impacts of all-hazards emergencies on population health is a key responsibility for the public health sector\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e. The study participants primarily consisted of young adults, reflecting the current age distribution of Nigerian household heads\u003csup\u003e17\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation plays a crucial role in disaster preparedness as highly educated individuals and societies tend to have better preparedness and response to disasters when compared to individuals with low levels of education\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e. Most participants in our study attained secondary and tertiary education, although the majority were drawn from rural areas and were mostly traders, farmers or fishermen (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Nonetheless, a significant portion of the population were professionals. This correlates not only with the literacy level of the Nigerian populace but also with their exposure to an environment that facilitates easy dissemination of information and the ability to assess disaster situations\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNigeria as a country is most vulnerable to multiple humanitarian disasters ranking them as the fourth and the sixth among the countries that have the greatest number of people affected by such disasters\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e. In the current study, participants attested to having experienced flooding, rioting, disease outbreaks, terrorism, fire incidence, building collapse and bomb blasts among others. Our result was in concordance with other findings on humanitarian disasters experienced in Nigeria\u003csup\u003e31, 18\u003c/sup\u003e, \u003csup\u003e32\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeavy rainfall is a cause of natural disasters (flooding) which is directly linked to weather patterns and climate change\u003csup\u003e33\u003c/sup\u003e. Consistent with Nigeria's vulnerability, flooding emerged as the most common disaster type identified by participants across all states assessed in this study and this was corroborated by previous studies\u003csup\u003e34, 12, 35, 36\u003c/sup\u003e. Our findings also align with research by Fredrick and Beneah, 2018 \u003csup\u003e37\u003c/sup\u003e highlighting the increasing frequency of floods worldwide due to climate change and human activities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFlooding remains one of the most common and devastating natural disasters globally, affecting millions of people annually\u003csup\u003e38\u003c/sup\u003e. Understanding the causes of floods is crucial for developing effective mitigation and response strategies. Our findings further revealed that blocked drainages are Nigeria's most prevalent cause of flooding. Similarly, multiple studies indicate that the main cause of flooding in urban and rural areas was blocked drainage systems caused by inappropriate dumping of refuse, poor waste management techniques and insufficient drainage infrastructures \u003csup\u003e39, 40\u003c/sup\u003e. Another crisis which can lead to downstream flooding if not properly managed is the opening of dams, which was a significant cause of flooding from our findings. A study conducted by Ghazali, \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2021\u003csup\u003e41\u003c/sup\u003e highlighted that controlled release of water from dams was necessary to prevent structural failure. However, the opening of dams would pose less threat if drainages were properly decongested and there was improved communication between dam operators and communities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderstanding public response to flooding was vital for emergency planning and safety. Our results indicated several actions people could take when these disasters occur. These responses reflected a mixed awareness of effective flood safety practices. Climbing to higher ground was recommended; however, calling an emergency was crucial and indicated some level of preparedness and awareness\u003csup\u003e42\u003c/sup\u003e. This study showed that the less recommended action, such as swimming across floods, suggested a need for better education on flood safety. Also, our results indicated several immediate effects of flooding, with the most prevalent being the destruction of properties. Hence, national awareness of the causes and effects of flooding, as well as their responses highlights both strengths and areas for improvement in public education on flood safety practices and investing in infrastructure development which can mitigate the impacts of flooding.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs much as the occurrence of natural disasters is mostly inevitable, humans can play a vital role in preventing or reducing the severity of these disasters, especially in situations of flood\u003csup\u003e43\u003c/sup\u003e. From Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, clearing of drainage yielded the highest suggestion by participants which deduced that participants knew the consequences of having blocked drainages in situations of flood. Public enlightenment was also a suggested action to be considered in preventing floods. This showed that continued awareness campaigns tailored to the local context (easiest level of understanding / lay-man knowledge) could contribute to the mitigation of flood by community dwellers. Also, participants suggested the avoidance of erecting and constructing buildings on drainage channels as one way of preventing floods, because these erected structures pose an obstruction on the drainage channels\u003csup\u003e44\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data from this study further reveals rioting as the second most common disaster experienced, with a significant concentration in Lagos compared to the other states. This substantial disparity in Lagos warrants further investigation. Previous research has shown that fire outbreaks are a global phenomenon\u003csup\u003e45\u003c/sup\u003e. According to this study, fire outbreak accounts for the third most occurred disaster type with Lagos state having the highest occurrence. Lagos state is a highly urbanised area and so the results of this study are not surprising, Akanmu \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2023\u003csup\u003e46\u003c/sup\u003e also stated that fire disasters are prone to occur in urban areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe spread of information among people in a community differs according to each settlement's exposure and development, which affects their means of communication. Effective information behaviour enables people to make knowledgeable decisions\u003csup\u003e47\u003c/sup\u003e. Information and knowledge of disasters are spread by various means. Multiple studies reported that the most popular sources of information are social media, the internet, television, radio, family and friends, books and school resources\u003csup\u003e48, 49\u003c/sup\u003e. However, our study showed that the most popular source of information was personal experience (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Hence, it is a key factor in determining the level of disaster preparedness among individuals, as households which have experienced losses and damages from previous disasters know the potential harmful impacts of these disasters and thus become prepared\u003csup\u003e50, 51\u003c/sup\u003e. It is important to note that while personal experience tops the chart of the source of information on disaster, traditional media plays a significant role, with television and radio jingles coming in as the second and third most frequent sources of information. This indicates their continued importance in disseminating disaster awareness amongst other messages as the fourth estate of the realm. An area of concern in this finding is that school education was the least reported source of disaster information. This indicated a potential gap in disaster preparedness in education within the school curriculum. This was similar to a report by Patel \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2023\u003csup\u003e52\u003c/sup\u003e where it highlighted how students were the least-considered group in a community when plans were being made for emergency preparedness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the rapid growth of the internet and social media in Nigeria, the internet as a source of disaster awareness had a relatively low reach\u003csup\u003e53\u003c/sup\u003e. For the past 15 years, the public had used social media during emergencies. Social media is an emerging, substantial, and frequently accurate mode of public engagement and backchannel communication. As a result, social media analysis in emergencies has become commonplace. While comparing major studies on social media during emergencies, it became clear that almost no emergency arises without publications on the use and relevance of social media\u003csup\u003e54\u003c/sup\u003e. Hence, individual awareness about disasters should be encouraged through the use of platforms on the internet and social media, as this has been shown to be a good platform for sharing knowledge in the face of natural and manmade disasters\u003csup\u003e55\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe effects of disasters are very tremendous, as they can lead to loss of lives and properties. Our study concluded that the levels of awareness, attitude and readiness of the people from the four geopolitical zones concerning disaster preparedness were moderate, showing that more work needs to be done especially in the area of awareness and training. They are important to minimise the impact of humanitarian disasters on communities. Initiatives focused on improving knowledge, awareness, and readiness should be enhanced. To mitigate, prepare, and respond to these calamities, active involvement and concern of the community and government should also be intensified. These can be addressed by developing a strong educational and training strategy across multiple platforms such as school education, the internet, media and more. This study highlights the need for consistent and regular disaster awareness towards disaster preparedness as an effective strategy in handling situations during emergencies.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics Approval and Consent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval was obtained from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Institutional Ethical Review Board (IRB/14/255). The informed consent were duly\u0026nbsp;obtained from each participants after proper education and explanation on the goal of the project and before questionnaire administration\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests in this manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmoo OS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Awoderu OB\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Moses B\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Afocha EE\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Adedeji AM\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Ajayi M. B\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Bamidele TA\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Oparaugo CT\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Fesobi W\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Fowora MA\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, David N\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Mebaghandun AV\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Umoh EU\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Musa AZ\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Akinsinde K\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Ajayi A\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e, Smith SI\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAOS- Conceptualisation, proposal writing, questionnaire development, field work and manuscript writing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAOB- Field work, proposal writing, questionnaire development\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMB- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAEE- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAAM- Data entry, Data Analysis\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAMB- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBTA- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOCT- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFW- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFMA- Proposal writing, questionnaire development, Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDN- Proposal writing, questionnaire development\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMAV- Manuscript writing, proofreading\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUEU- Manuscript writing, proofreading\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMAZ- Data analysis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAK- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAA- Field work\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSSI- Conceptualization, supervision and proofreading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors acknowledged the NIMR management for the support in executing this project.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; Information (optional)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChaudhary MT, Piracha A. (2021). Natural Disasters\u0026mdash;Origins, Impacts, management. Encyclopedia. 1(4):1101\u0026ndash;1131.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadanian S, Norris A, and Parry D. (2020). Disaster eHealth: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22(10). https://doi.org/10.2196/18310.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOgunleye O, Arohunsoro S, Ibitoye OA. (2023). Disaster vulnerability and poverty level among residents of Lagos State, Nigeria. International Journal for Disaster and Development Interface. 3(2). https://doi.org/10.53824/ijddi.v3i2.51.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmith, D. F. Q., \u0026amp; Casadevall, A. (2022). Disaster microbiology\u0026mdash;a new field of study. MBio, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.01680-22.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrooks, S., Aml\u0026ocirc;t, R., Rubin, G. J., \u0026amp; Greenberg, N. (2018). Psychological Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth in Disaster-Exposed Organisations: Overview of the Literature. BMJ Military Health. 166(1), 52\u0026ndash;56.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNnamdi AR, Agetue FN, Raphael O. (2019). An overview of emergency preparedness, response and disaster management in Nigeria: A study of NEMA. World Educators Forum: An International Journal, 11(1).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNational Disaster Risk Management Policy. (2018). (https://nema.gov.ng) visited on 20th of June, 2024 at 11:09am.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJoshua I, Makama J, Joshua W, Audu O, and Nmadu A. (2014). Disasters in Nigeria: a public health perspective. Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care. 26(1);59\u0026ndash;75.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organisation (WHO). (2007). Risk reduction and emergency preparedness (https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43736/9789241595896_eng.pdf?sequence=1\u0026amp;isAllowed=y). Accessed 28th May, 2024.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCenter for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). (2017). Economic, Losses, Poverty \u0026amp; Disasters 1998-2017. United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMasih, I., Maskey, S., Muss\u0026aacute;, F. E. F., \u0026amp; Trambauer, P. (2014). A review of droughts on the African continent: a geospatial and long-term perspective. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18(9), 3635\u0026ndash;3649. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3635-2014.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOkafor JC. Flood, livelihood displacement, and poverty in Nigeria: plights of flood victims, 2012\u0026ndash;2018. (2021). In African handbook of climate change adaptation (pp. 2535-2545). Cham: Springer International Publishing. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAkukwe T, Krhoda G, Oluoko-Odingo A. (2018). \u0026lsquo;Principal Component Analysis of the Effects of Flooding on Food Security in Agrarian Communities of South Eastern Nigeria\u0026rsquo;, International Journal of Hydrology. 2(2):205\u0026ndash;212. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOyebode, O. J., Oyebode, F. A., \u0026amp; Elesa, B. L. (2022). Flood Risk Assessment and Disaster Management through Data Applications and Engineering Interventions. Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdigun, O. W. (2023). Communal Violence in Nigeria, 2014\u0026ndash;21: Mapping, modeling, and trends. African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review/African Conflict \u0026amp; Peacebuilding Review, 13(2), 1\u0026ndash;31. https://doi.org/10.2979/africonfpeacrevi.13.2.01\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbolarin J, and Adedeji AA. (2016). \u0026quot;investigating earthquake magnitude by seismic signals and wavelet transform in optimal design,\u0026quot; Web Journal of Science and Engineering Application. 305- 322.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOluwafemi JO, Ofuyatan OM, Ede AN, Oyebisi SO, Akinwumi II, B. (2018). Review of Earthquakes in Nigeria: An Understudied Area. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology. 9(8);1023-1033. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNwakwou, G. C. (2019). Disaster risk Profile of Nigeria. Emergency and Disaster Reports .6(4);1\u0026ndash;89. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/7912318.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElele GC, Elele UA. (2023). Analysis of Plane Crash in Nigeria and Lessons Learned From Specific Disaster: Dana Air 0992, 5n-Ram Crash. International Journal of Advanced Research, 11(01). 1246\u0026ndash;1255. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAjayi OO. (2022). Incessant Building Collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria: Beyond A Legal Framework. Nnamdi Azikiwe University Journal of Commercial and Property Law (NAU.JCPL). 9(3): 2736-0342. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdedeji OB, Okerentugba PO, Innocent-Adiele HC, Okonko IO. (2012). Benefits, Public Health Hazards and Risks Associated With Fish Consumption. New York Science Journal. 5(9) 33-61.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnah EI. Nigeria: (2020). A country profile. Journal of International Studies/Journal of International Studies. 10. https://doi.org/10.32890/jis.10.2014.7954\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWaugh, W. L., \u0026amp; Streib, G. (2006). Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management. PAR. Public Administration Review/Public Administration Review. 66(s1):131\u0026ndash;140. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00673.x\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKapucu, N., Arslan, T., \u0026amp; Demiroz, F. (2010). Collaborative emergency management and national emergency management network. Disaster Prevention and Management. 19(4):452\u0026ndash;468. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653561011070376\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePaton, D. (2019). Disaster risk reduction: Psychological perspectives on preparedness. Australian Journal of Psychology. 71(4): 327\u0026ndash;341. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12237\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElum ZA, Lawal O. (2022). Flood risk perception, disaster preparedness and response in flood-prone urban communities of Rivers State. Jamba: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. 14(1).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKhan Y, O\u0026rsquo;Sullivan T, Brown A, Tracey S, Gibson J, G\u0026eacute;n\u0026eacute;reux M, Henry B, and Schwartz B. (2018). Public health emergency preparedness: a framework to promote resilience. BMC Public Health. 18(1). \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoffmann R, Blecha D. (2020). Education and disaster vulnerability in Southeast Asia: evidence and policy implications. Sustainability. 12(4); 1401.https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041401\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLamon S, Knowles O, Hendy A, Story I, and Currey J. (2020). Active learning to improve student learning experiences in an online postgraduate course. Frontiers in Education. 5. doi.org/ 10.3389/feduc.2020.598560\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShakeri, E., Vizvari, B., \u0026amp; Nazerian, R. (2021). Comparative analysis of disaster management between India and Nigeria. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 63:102448. ISSN 2212-4209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102448.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdadu, M. E., \u0026amp; Ianna, M. S. ( 2019). Disaster management in academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria. Library and Information Perspectives and Research.1(1), 59 \u0026ndash; 69.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEneh NE, Bakare NS, Akpuokwe NU, Adeniyi NO. (2024). Cross-jurisdictional disaster preparedness: A Nigeria-USA data-analytical approach. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews. 21(2), 1822\u0026ndash;1829\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAwuni S, Francis A, Benjamin D, Ratna C, Diana C, Miroslav H. (2023). Managing the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in Ghana. Heliyon. 9(5): e15491. ISSN 2405-8440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15491.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eObi R, Nwachukwu MU, Okeke DC, and Jiburum U. (2021). Indigenous flood control and management knowledge and flood disaster risk reduction in Nigeria\u0026rsquo;s coastal communities: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 55(102079). https://doi.org /10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102079\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThurston, A. M., St\u0026ouml;ckl, H., \u0026amp; Ranganathan, M. (2021). Natural hazards, disasters and violence against women and girls: a global mixed-methods systematic review. BMJ Global Health. 6(4): e004377. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004377\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMfon, NIE, Oguike NMC, Eteng NSU, and Etim NNM. (2022). Causes and effects of flooding in Nigeria: a review. East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. 1(9): 1777\u0026ndash;1792. https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v1i9.1261\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFredrick, A., \u0026amp; Beneah, E. (2018). Increasing frequency of floods worldwide due to climate change and human activities. Journal of Environmental Studies. 35(2):123-137\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUmar, N., \u0026amp; Gray, A. (2022). Flooding in Nigeria: a review of its occurrence and impacts and approaches to modelling flood data. International Journal of Environmental Studies. 80(3): 540\u0026ndash;561. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2022.2081471\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOleabhiele EJ, and Dotimi DE. (2020). Indiscriminate Refuse Dumping and Flooding In Amassoma Community, Nigeria. African Journal of Health Safety and Environment. 1(1);11\u0026ndash;21. https://doi.org/10.52417/ajhse.v1i1.28\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNasir S, RKS, and Yusof, Y. (2024). Waste Management System- A comparative study of waste management systems in Malaysia and Canada. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences. 13(2).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGhazali S, Rahman ZA, Halim SA. (2021). Managing dam-induced flooding: Lessons from recent case studies. Journal oh Hydraulic Engineering. 47(2): 101-118\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDi Baldassarre, G, Heidi, K, Sergiy, V, Jeroen, A, Karsten, A-N, Marlies, B, Bates,P, Borga, M, Botzen,W, Bubeck, P, De Marchi, B, Llasat, C, Mazzoleni, M, Molinari, D, Mondino, E, M\u0026aring;rd, J, Petrucci, O, Scolobig, A, Viglione, A. and Ward, PJ. (2020). An Interdisciplinary Research Agenda to Explore the Unintended Consequences of Structural Flood Protection. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences,. 24(6), 2873-2877.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHamilton K, Demant D, Peden AE, Hagger MS. (2020). A systematic review of human behaviour in and around floodwater. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.47: 101561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101561\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrancisco TH, Menezes VC, Guedes LA, Maquera G, Neto CV, Longo OC, Chinelli CK, Soares APC. 2022. The Main Challenges for Improving Urban Drainage Systems from the Perspective of Brazilian Professionals. Infrastructures. 2023 8(1): 5.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJones, MW, Abatzoglou JT, Veraverbeke S, Andela N, Lasslop G, Forkel M, Smith AJP, Burton C, Betts RA, Van Der Werf GR, Sitch S, Canadell J G, Sant\u0026iacute;n C, Kolden C, Doerr SH and Quere CL. (2022). Global and regional trends and drivers of fire under climate change. Reviews of Geophysics. 60(3): e2020RG000726. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020rg000726\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAkanmu W, Arokoyo S. (2023). Fire Hazards Awareness and Preparedness among the Residents of Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, IRE Journals. 6(12).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSulaiman, Shah, S., Khan, S., Bussmann, R. W., Ali, M., Hussain, D., \u0026amp; Hussain, W. (2020). Quantitative Ethnobotanical study of Indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used by the tribal communities of Gokand Valley, District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Plants. 9(8). 1001. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9081001\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOlaimat AN, Aolymat I, Shahbaz HM, and Holley RA. (2020). Knowledge and information sources about COVID-19 among university students in Jordan: a Cross-Sectional study. Frontiers in Public Health. 8:254. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00254. PMID: 32574314; PMCID: PMC7274134.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlkalash SH, Alamer HA, Allihyani AM, Alhazmi AS, Alharthi RM, and Bugis AM. (2023). Knowledge of and Attitude towards Disaster Preparedness among Secondary School Students in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 15(1): e33926.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoffmann R, and Muttarak R. (2017). Learn from the past, prepare for the future: Impacts of education and experience on disaster preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand. World Development. 96: 32-51.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKato T. (2021). Sharing experience by residents of past disaster sites: Effects of time from disasters and types of experience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 61: 102390. ISSN 2212-4209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102390\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePatel V, Fancourt D, Furukawa TA, and Kola L. (2023). Reimagining the journey to recovery: The COVID-19 pandemic and global mental health. PLoS Medicine. 20(4). https://doi.org/1 0.1371/journal.pmed.1004224\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOgbuabor JE, Agu MN, and Kalu Uİ. (2017). The Social Impacts of Information and Communication Technology in Nigeria. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues. 7(2);524-529.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReuter, C., \u0026amp; Kaufhold, M. (2017). Fifteen years of social media in emergencies: A retrospective review and future directions for crisis Informatics. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(1):41\u0026ndash;57.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAhmed YA, Ahmad MN, Ahmad, N, Zakaria NH. (2019). Social media for knowledge-sharing: A systematic literature review. Telematics and Informatics. 37: 72\u0026ndash;112.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Disaster, Flooding, Awareness, Emergency","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisaster preparedness is critical for households, businesses, and communities. Over the years, Nigerians have had to rely on sheer luck and providence to save themselves from disasters with little or no help coming from rescue agencies which on many occasions have been found to lack capacity and wherewithal to intervene in such difficult moments. This research was focused on determining the level of awareness, preparedness and response to humanitarian disasters concerning flood in Nigeria. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which relevant data was collected from community dwellers (household heads) selected by a multistage sampling technique and data analysed using SPSS v23.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean age of respondents was 39 years with an average family size of seven. Flooding, fire incidence and rioting were the highest recorded disasters known and experienced by the participants and the humanitarian disasters experienced in the four states are statistically significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The participant\u0026rsquo;s awareness of humanitarian disasters emerged from diverse sources with the highest being personal experience (25.5%), television (21.3%) radio jingles (17.9%) and the least information obtained through telephone calls (0.2%). Flooding was the most encountered and significant humanitarian disaster among all participants. Blocked drainages as a cause of the flood were reported amongst 24.9% of respondents while 21.4%, 18.6% and 8.9% attributed the cause of the flood to heavy rainfall, the opening of dams and the lack of drainages, respectively. The effects of flooding on the participants ranged from loss of lives and properties to an adverse impact on income. Also, the study explored how participants would prevent floods. 33.5% responses indicated clearing drainages, 19.3% stated public enlightenment, 13.5% suggested non-dumping of refuse in the drainage and 6.8% affirmed that floods could be prevented if structures are not built on drainage channels. Lastly, concerning what they had to do in case of flooding; 33.2% suggested climbing to a higher area and shouting for help, 25.7% recommended calling emergency numbers, 9.4% proposed swimming across the flood and 7.8% responded with staying in the flood and holding on tightly to something.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo systematically reduce the increased impact of disaster especially flooding among community dwellers, there is need for increased awareness, re-orientation and continued education in response to humanitarian disaster.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessment of Awareness and Level of Preparedness for Humanitarian Disasters in Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-19 15:38:36","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4731196/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"debe4eee-1fb5-42e6-8781-314b07442b8e","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 19th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-09-24T09:38:59+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-19 15:38:36","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4731196","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4731196","identity":"rs-4731196","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}