Sanna Dahaba, the executive director of the National Disaster Management Agency, confirmed the development yesterday during a press conference. He said: “Any soul lost as a result of a disaster is a big loss to the country.
“The government is not taking the plight of citizens lightly. The partners here can come in and complement government efforts,” Dahaba requested.
The agency and its partners, he explained, are conducting assessments with a view to enabling the government to determine the type of response they can provide. “The government is waiting for us to provide them with tangible and reliable data so that they can immediately respond,” he said, claiming that NBR is the most hard hit region as it recorded nine deaths and the West Coast Region one death.
Tree planting, he said, is key in preventing such a disaster. “To strengthen the capacity of the agency, the president has today morning donated three pick-ups to the agency with a view to enable us conduct our work effectively.”
Meanwhile, our reporters have been reliably informed that two people died in Njawara village in the NBR. “Fatou Saine and Ali Pandeh reportedly died when the house they were living in fell down on them.”
President Adama Barrow meanwhile summoned an emergency meeting yesterday with all relevant stakeholders, in order to conduct a rapid assessment of the damages and advise government accordingly.
Barrow called on all Gambians and good samaritans to come forward and support the victims in any way they can while his government assesses the needed support.
