Northern Region gets Disaster Management Plan

The Ghana Red Cross, through the support of the Swiss Red Cross, has developed a Community-enabled Disaster Management Plan, to help ensure effective response to disaster situations in the Northern Region.

The Plan is also to serve as a framework to guide funding of Disaster Risk Reduction activities in the region.

The Ghana Red Cross developed the plan after engaging 25 most vulnerable communities in five districts of the region to undertake a more in-depth study of community vulnerabilities and early warning systems using a participatory approach.

A compilation of the entire process put together as a strategy was launched in Tamale on Thursday and presented to the government through the Northern Regional Coordinating Council.

Mr Frederick Anti, Head of Operations of the Swiss Red Cross, who presented the Plan, said it would help to reduce the number of fatalities recorded by the region during disasters.

Mr Anti elaborated on some of the recommendations of the Plan, which included the need to form community disaster volunteers and train them to respond to disasters as well as undertake rapid assessment of disasters and report to the National Disaster Management Organisation for appropriate response.

Other recommendations included need for a bye-law to punish community members whose activities caused disasters as well as putting early warning systems in place to signal disasters.

Mr Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudow, Sagnarigu District Chief Executive, who represented the Regional Minister, received the Plan, and gave the assurance that government would implement it.