As we enter the rainy season, the National Disaster Management Agency should continue to put in all the necessary measures in place in order to help address the needs of communities prone to disaster.
The country last year experienced a lot of floods, and as a result of this development the National Disaster Council this year has done good work by touring the entire country to sensitize people on how to prevent and manage disasters in times of crisis, and also carried out work at the most urgent disaster prone areas in the country, all geared towards addressing the needs of the people.
It is also the responsibility of people to think of a better settlement, and also to contact both the physical planning and health authorities, whenever they want to build a house, as this would greatly help them.
Some of the disasters are man-made, and could have been averted, but instead people would allow things to happen and then later start to solicit government’s support.
The private sector in the Gambia is doing extremely well in contributing their quota towards disaster management activities in the country.
The government has also given the national disaster management agency all the political support it needs as an agency to operate within its framework.
The disaster-related NGOs should all come on board to support disaster prevention activities in the country.
The media as agents of change have a critical role to play in disaster management, and we should be well equipped on disaster management issues, as this is where the National Disaster Management Agency should come into support by building the capacity of media personnel and all relevant stakeholders concerned with disaster prevention and control.
If the NDMA is supported, it will be easier for them to assist partners working with them.
Let us take disaster management and risk reduction seriously.
