A 12 - member Disaster Management Committee has been inaugurated at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to assist the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in fulfilment of section 27 of the NADMO Act 2016 (Act 927).

Membership of the committee, comprise the MCE as the Chairman, the Metropolitan Director of NADMO, Chairperson of the District Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Risk Reduction, a Member of Parliament in the metropolis, Metropolitan Director of Health Services, a representative from the Garrison Commander of the Armed Forces, the District Police Commander and Fire Officer.

Other members include the Metro Information Officer, Metro Director of Education, Metro Environmental Officer, the Metro Planning Officer and the District Social Development Welfare Officer.

The committee is mandated among other things: implement government's policy on disaster prevention, disaster risk reduction ,climate risk management , prepare, coordinate , monitor and update disaster management plans, identify hazards and monitor the hazards, collaborate with communities and relevant institutions through the dissemination of information to educate the public and facilitate the development of communities and community-based organisations, reconcile the difference in opinion and approach and resolve dispute arising from them as well as report on project progress.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony at the City Hall in Accra, Mayor Sowah urged members of the committee to hold themselves in readiness to help prevent and manage disasters when they come their way by taking on the task whenever the need arises.

“We as Chief Executives from various Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies will provide the necessary leadership but it is on record that as men and women in uniform you have been professionally trained and equipped to lead in the execution of the task and kindly respond to that distress call anytime,” he said

Mayor Sowah admonished members of the committee to embrace technology which would aid them in the discharge of their duties and abreast themselves with the happenings in the environment and take those matters serious to build a resilient city as it requires a lot of work.

“We have our Regional Director and National Director they should continue to give out the necessary guidelines and recommendations that will help us to be more proactive, so we will be able to build not only a resilient city but a safe city that we can go about our normal duties,” he stressed.

The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Eric Nana Agyeman -Prempeh disclosed that his outfit had introduced a program named ‘Catch them young‘ aimed at establishing disaster clubs in tertiary, secondary and primary school levels as part of efforts to inculcate disaster prevention measures in the youth.

The programme he added had been successfully piloted and would be launched very soon.

He also added that NADMO was collaborating with the office of the UN Outer -Space in Bonn -Germany which assists in giving accurate data on floods and other related disasters to support in the country