The drill simulated a real-life scenario in which heavy flooding caused a building to collapse on five households, resulting in drowning incidents. Two donkey-carts were also washed away, and pregnant women were among those affected.
The exercise was funded by the WACA Project and organised in collaboration with The Gambia Red Cross Society, The Gambia Police Force, The Gambia Fire and Rescue Service, and the Epidemiology, Disease Control and WASH units of the Ministry of Health.
Speaking to The Point after the exercise, Momodou B.K. Ceesay, Interim Director of Operations at NDMA, said the simulation was a follow-up to the Ward Disaster Contingency Plan developed by NDMA with WACA in 2024.
“Since the development of the plan, we have been conducting simulations to test the readiness of ward committees and to assess collaboration between ward, regional and municipal disaster management committees,” he said.
He noted that the exercise was critical because WACA is being implemented in an area identified as a disaster hotspot. The goal, he added, was to identify gaps, build on successes, and ensure institutions are prepared.
“In the simulation, we developed ‘injects’ which were shared via a WhatsApp group with operational heads. The injects describe what is happening so that first responders can react in real time,” Ceesay explained.
He commended hospitals for their quick response to the simulated casualties and applauded residents for turning out in large numbers to participate.
