Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs, Charles Kalemba has called on councils and all disaster risk management (DRM) stakeholders to enhance efforts in assessing disaster risks.
Kalemba made the call on Friday, 1st October, 2021, in Salima during a coordination meeting comprising officials from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Relief and Rehabilitation Officers (RROs) stationed in councils across the country and members of the Early Warning System Sub Committee.
“Some dwellings, roads and bridges are disasters in waiting, let us make formal assessments in close consultation with stakeholders and report to relevant authorities for action. This will enable us reduce disaster risks and minimise losses emanating from disasters,” said Kalemba.
He further called upon councils to create warehouses in strategic places for the storage of relief items so that people affected by various disasters should be reached out with relief assistance on time.
In her remarks, Malawi Red Cross Society’s (MRCS) Director of Programmes, Prisca Chisala, said the organisation is committed to complementing government’s efforts in implementing various DRM programmes.
The one-day- meeting, which was held with funding from MRCS, discussed reporting modalities and DRM issues, financial management, devolved DRM functions and the implementation of the forthcoming Lean Season Food Insecurity Response Programme (LS-FIRP), among others.
In June this year, MRCS trained 34 DoDMA members of staff in administering first aid during emergencies.
