UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Masahudu Jinkor
The Deputy National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in-charge of Disaster control and operations in the Upper East Region,Mr. Paul Wooma has said that most disasters we experienced lately were as a result of questionable human activities that had exposed lots of public and private structures to life threatening disasters .
Mr. Wooma who made this known in a radio interview with the host of Ripples on GBC URA Radio blamed it on some experts who failed to render proper expert advice on quality building and roofing materials to people who put up structures for homes and for other purposes. According to him though some experts were not also economical with such relevant informations some people compromised their stands on such informations and still went ahead to put up structures with inferior building materials thereby putting the lives of people using those structures at risks.
He reported that information from the Meteorological Service Department lately predicted more rains amidst storms in the coming weeks. In the light of this, he called on owners of houses more especially, to do what is called retrofitting by annually doing roofing or structure maintenance as a measure to avert possible stormy disasters in our communities as the rainy season graduates.
He intimated that disaster prevention and control was a shared responsibility among community residents and NADMO adding that anytime disaster strikes, the National Disaster Management Organisation whose main responsibility was to coordinate disaster issues would first of all take time to do proper assessment, take statistics before responding to any disaster when it strikes. These processes according to Mr. Wooma sometimes bring delays on the part of NADMO responding promptly to disasters.
He further stated that disaster management was gradually shifting from disaster relief to disaster risk reduction saying disaster information was disseminated through radio, chiefs, Assembly Members and also through community engagements as well as durbars among other platforms.
The disaster expert disclosed that his outfit in collaboration with its supporting partners such as Red Cross Society, Action Aid and USAID the organisation instituted a move known as School Link to inculcate in our school children the spirit of thinking about nature, caring about nature by becoming co-creaters to God when well equipped with information about disaster prevention.
Whilst sympathising with victims of last night severe rain-storm hit most parts of the region, he adviced community residents, farmers and passersby not to take shelter under trees as well as billboards during rains since they were possible recioes for accidents during rains.
Source – gbcuraonline.com
