By Adama Makasuba
The Gambia government is set to distribute an emergency food package to seriously affected flood victims across the country.
Right now, “the government is providing a rapid relief package of rice, sugar, and oil which are being offloaded at the World Food Programme as a rapid relief programme which will be followed by a bigger one. Right now soldiers and our officials are at the office of the World Food Programme offloading the bags of rice, sugar, and gallons of cooking oil,” Sanna Dahaba, the executive director of the National Disaster Management Agency said.
“The government is doing all it can to make sure support is reached to the affected people and communities with food and medication,” he added.
According to him, his office had engaged the local councils before the rainy season in a bid to look for mitigation ways to avert potential disaster.
He heaped praises on President Adama Barrow and his government for always being concerned about the welfare of Gambians.
Meanwhile, he added: “In any disaster situation the government bears the primary responsibility, which shows why the vice president and the president, the executive of this country, led NDMA to visit the affected communities. That’s the kind of leadership The Gambia respondent today.
“We have visited several places just for the government to see for themselves if there is any policy to respond to disaster then the government will have first-hand information. As far as NDMA is concerned, we are conducting a rapid response which will follow a detailed response. At our level, we have engaged all stakeholders and partners so that we can do a joint assessment which is ongoing.
“The outcome of these assessments will inform the next stage that the government will provide in terms of rapid response and assistance. This is not the government alone, when disaster happens, the government bears responsibility. But the government also has UN agencies and NGOs and philanthropists to support,” he noted.