Tempane (U/E) Nov, 24, GNA – The Tempane district office of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has started a consultative meeting for initiation of disaster and emergency preparedness plan for the district.
As part of the initial preparations of the intervention sponsored by OXFAM, Ghana, through the Presbyterian Agricultural Station in conjunction with MoFA, a one day workshop has been held to help stakeholders develop new methods to guide against occurrence of disasters in communities and the district as a whole.
Mr Williams Adams Asaana, District Officer of NADMO, in an interview with the Ghana news agency noted at the sidelines of the workshop that the support will enable the district, which was created five years ago to work on its disaster preparedness plan.
Mr Asaana, during his facilitation stated that disasters were either scientific or traditional and cited prevalent disasters recorded in the district to include Anthrax, CSM, Cholera, bush fires and added others such as road and traffic accidents, floods, wild elephant invasion, fall army worm, drought, deforestation, and social conflict.
He said the sensitization workshop provided the opportunity for the stakeholders especially the chiefs, queen mothers and the District Assembly among others who were in attendance to champion the course to educate and inform their subjects on dangers of disasters and how to mitigate them.
He added other activities such as radio discussions, assessment of state of disasters would be rolled into the activities to widen participation and implementation.
Mr Obed Asunka, manager of the Presbyterian Agriculture station whose outfit sought the GHC 9,000 funding from Oxfam for the district hoped that NADMO would adequately be equipped to properly come out with the needed interventions based on knowledge and plans and noted that staff capacity will be built to carry out the planned activities.
The Chiefs and some community members during a plenary session expressed dissatisfaction with NADMO’s response to emergency situations especially in recent floods and other disasters that occurred in the district and indicated that help always came so late.
Mr. Ahmed Tijani senior disaster control officer in Tempane district was delighted with the outcome of the workshop and pledged the need for more collaborative effort to control disasters, than wait for one to occur with attendant challenges in asking for relief items to come.
GNA