Deputy Director of the Climate Change Unit at the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Frank Aggrey has disclosed the organization’s plans to set up an application to alert citizens on pending disasters.
In an exclusive interview with Ghanaweb at a breakfast meeting on climate change, Frank Aggrey explained that the disaster application, when fully operational, would direct residents to ‘safe havens’ in times of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes.
He added that the app would also aid residents to contact disaster-response agencies for help during such instances.
“We are partnering with VODACOM to come up with an app that can help citizens find out where they can go to when there is flood or which institution they can call to inform them on what they are going through,” Frank Aggrey said.
According to the Deputy Director of the Climate Change Department at NADMO, the disaster app is still in its pilot stage, with a test run being conducted within the Adabraka community.
“The app is still in its pilot stage. We have not finished with the app yet. If we are done with it, we will roll it out nationwide but for now we are doing something small at the Adabraka area where VODACOM is partnering with an MP and NADMO to help the citizens to be able to predict as and when to move from their homes when there is a serious flooding,”
He projected that the NADMO disaster application would be launched by the end of 2019.
The 2018 Climate Change Breakfast Meeting took place at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel on Thursday, October 25, 2018. Climate change experts and representatives from NADMO spoke on the theme ‘Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Leveraging Public Participation to Build A Climate Resilient Future.’