Assessing the impacts of institutional early warning system characteristics in flood mitigation

Abstract

This study evaluated the institutional early warning systems in flood mitigation in Gasma community, Karasuwa Local Government Area, Yobe State, Nigeria. A mixed-methods research design was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire administered to 200 households selected through stratified random sampling across four communities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, presented in frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that the institutional EWS demonstrated considerable strengths, with 47.5% of respondents identifying the Disaster Management Authority as the most reliable source, 57.5% perceiving institutional coordination as very well coordinated, and 72.5% receiving warnings more than three days in advance. However, significant gaps persisted in communication diversity, as mass media dominated (62.5%) while mobile alerts (5%) and social media (2.5%) were severely underutilized.