The Use of Public Relations Strategies in Tackling Cases of Flood in Rivers State

Abstract

Flooding has become a recurrent environmental problem in parts of the world including Nigeria. Several events cause flooding in Nigeria. Flood impact negatively on the people and society in form of loss of lives, destruction of houses, farmlands means of livelihood and infrastructural facilities as well as exposure to diseases, infections and dangerous reptiles and insects. Therefore, the study was carried out to review the causes and effects of flood and how best to utilize the techniques and strategies of the Public Relations to tackle its menace in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State. The urban resilience and social responsibility theory formed the theoretical framework used in this study. Sampling quota drawn from each of the three LGAs was adopted. Apart from the use of interview technique and questionnaire to collect data, a combination of public relations strategies was deployed to address flooding in the affected LGAs of the State. Many factors, including paucity of funds, idiosyncrasies of the flood victims, religious and cultural beliefs of the people challenged the efforts of the PR practitioners for a social re-engineering process towards a harmonious society. The study, therefore, recommends that government should come up with legislation to fight flooding as well as provide financial and material support to flood victims.

Keywords: Flood, flood hazard management, public relations, social responsibility theory, urban resilience theory and strategy