President Muhammadu Buhari says he receives regular updates on flooding, which has affected more than 500,000 Nigerians since January.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, on Tuesday in Abuja, the president extended condolences to those affected by the floods.

He assured that the Federal Government would continue to provide the needed emergency assistance to individuals and communities impacted by the disaster.

He also invited public-spirited individuals and organisations to support hundreds of thousands of people in need of urgent help in the affected communities.

The president noted that the tragic events had brought to the fore the need for states and local governments to step up their “level of preparedness in handling emergencies.

“The preparedness remains a shared responsibility with the government at the centre’’.

Buhari affirmed that the Federal Government would continue to monitor the situation very closely.

He said this was necessary to work more with states and affected communities to reduce the impact of the disaster, provide resources and improve response and recovery efforts.

Buhari urged inhabitants of flood-prone areas to always adhere to warning advisories issued by organisations saddled with climate monitoring and disaster management.

Since January, flooding has been reported in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, and Bauchi states.

The disaster has also be reported in Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, and Abia states and the FCT, 508,721 people.

The destructive floods have displaced 73,379 people, recorded 115 casualties, and injured 277 people.

The floods and heavy rains have left around 37,633 houses destroyed or severely damaged according to data from the executive arm of government.