Mr. Divine Bosson, Volta Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has called on Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies to make budgetary allocations to support the Organisation in disaster management.
He said disaster management was crucial in local governance and that it was time the Assemblies demonstrated greater commitment to disaster prevention and management.
Mr. Bosson said this at the inauguration of the Hohoe Municipal Disaster Management Committee in Hohoe.
He said disasters recorded in the Volta Region in the first quarter of 2019 was estimated at GHC872,940 and called for support from all stakeholders in disaster prevention.
Mr Bosson said efforts were underway for the supply of logistics to Assemblies and asked the Committee members to work as a team to prevent and manage disasters in the Municipality.
The 13-member committee is chaired by Mr. Andrews Teddy Ofori, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive.
Other members are from the Municipal NADMO, Platform for disaster risk reduction and climate change risk management, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Planning Unit, Environmental Health, Social Welfare, Information Service Department and the Member of Parliament for Hohoe constituency.
Mr Taylor Talkum, Deputy Director of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in-charge of Operations in Volta and Oti regions said a multi-sectoral approach was needed to manage disasters.
He said the Committee shall be responsible for coordinating and managing disasters that occurred in the Municipality and shall perform its functions in accordance with resolutions passed by the Assembly.
Mr Hilarious Gockel, the Hohoe Municipal Director of NADMO said disaster prevention was a shared responsibility and believed that the inauguration of the Committee was a good initiative to manage disaster and related issues in the Municipality.
The NADMO Act 2016 (Act 296) mandates every Assembly to establish a disaster management committee, which shall prepare disaster management plans to prevent and mitigate disasters in their areas of authority.