The World Vision Ghana (WVG) is assisting the people in the Mfantseman Municipality to identify potential natural disasters in their areas and building their capacities to deal with them during outbreaks. Mr Ebenezer Okoampa, an associate director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Unit of WVG, told participants at a three-day workshop on the programme that some communities were unknowingly sitting on time bombs, such as earthquake zones and waterways. The participants, who include chiefs, heads of departments, assembly and unit committee members and security officers, are being schooled on disaster prevention, mitigation and response initiatives. Mr Okoampa stressed that the organization had embarked on the exercise to enable the communities to identify the dangers ahead of time to be able to take the necessary precautionary measures to save lives and property. It would also help metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to incorporate information on disaster into their development plans, map out disaster prone areas and to prepare for disaster response strategies, he added. Mr. Okoampa said WVG would collaborate with other non-governmental organizations in the awareness creation programme. He expressed regret that most of the disasters that occurred in the country were man-made and cautioned Ghanaians against mismanaging the environment. Mr. Evans Owusu, Mfantseman Area Development Programme Communication Officer of WVG, expressed concern about the manner bush fires were destroying property in the area and appealed to the communities to form fire volunteer squads and also support them to protect the vegetation cover. Mr. Francis Ejaaku Donkoh, Chairman of the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly Disaster Sub-Committee, urged chiefs to support the assembly in enforcing bye-laws on the environment. WVG is a relief and child centred community development organization. Source: GNA