Before the floods come: Anticipatory Action protects communities in Nigeria

As forecasts warned that the 2025 flooding season in northeast Nigeria would be severe, communities across Adamawa State braced for what they knew would come: rising waters, disruptions to essential services, disease outbreaks, and the potential loss of livestock, farmland and livelihoods.

“Flooding used to destroy everything – my crops, my home, and my peace of mind,” said Idris, a father of seven.

This time, however, they had a critical advantage. Through the OCHA-facilitated Anticipatory Action (AA) framework, humanitarian partners were able to act before the worst impacts of floods unfolded.

When river levels surpassed the pre-defined trigger threshold in late September 2025, the OCHA-managed UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF) immediately released $5 million to support large-scale, UN-led interventions in health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security, and shelter – reaching nearly 250,000 people ahead of the floods.

Thanks to anticipatory funding from CERF, the World Food Programme (WFP) reached households most at risk of flooding with rapid cash assistance within just 72 hours of the trigger, allowing families to relocate to safer areas, safeguard their assets, and cover urgent food and other basic needs before the waters rose.

“Thanks to this timely support, I was able to move my family early enough before any disaster and I used the cash assistance to feed my family. I am glad we were all safe.”

Similarly, Jummai described how the assistance helped her protect her home and livelihood: “With the cash assistance I received, I immediately built a protective fence to shield my compound from floodwaters. When the rains came, the barrier held firm and my home remained safe. I used the remaining funds to buy food and restock items for my small trading business.”

Follow-up surveys with families showed that CERF-supported cash assistance had a strong impact. Those who received the support were significantly more food secure and more than 50 per cent more likely to maintain acceptable food consumption during and after the floods. Most people said the help arrived at the right moment, and nearly all used the cash within two weeks to prepare for or reduce the effects of the flooding.