The National Disaster Management Agency in Liberia is reviewing a five-year national action plan for disaster risk reduction in Liberia.
Staffers of the Agency are participating in the ongoing review and validation process which is expected to end on Saturday, June 9, 2018.
The Executive Director of the Agency, Henry O. Williams speaking to The Monrovia Times Newspaper in Kakata on Thursday, June 7, 2018, said they are updating and validating a plan which will shift their activities and action from 2017- 2021.
According to him, the Agency in the past prepared the plan to be able to address several issues which include sustainable development, accountability, resilience, disaster management and several other issues which they will try to harmonize.
He narrated that the National Disaster Management Agency will put into its plan of action preparedness, accountability, and resilience to disasters which will look at the mandate of the present government pro-poor agenda.
Mr. Williams indicated that if a disaster takes place, the poor people suffer more than those who have the capacity (rich people) as such; the Agency is looking at activities that will be included in the plan of action to address issues of poverty.
The Agency’s Executive Director disclosed that they have a contingency plan which addresses the issue of flood, fire, and erosion among others, narrating that these are areas the Agency is building resilience so that if they occurred; the organization can be prepared because it needs to respond and have recovery mechanism.
He, however, said the Agency is faced with capacity or financial gap expressing hope that they get support from partners and the government of Liberia. He said if the Agency is really supposed to be prepared to respond, it will need more than 10million United States dollars to start.
Mr. Williams however, urged every Liberian to take disaster important. He used the occasion to thank the government for giving him the privilege to serve as head of the entity and at the same time promised to support the pro-poor government agenda, because according to him when disaster strikes the poor really suffer.
