The Ghana National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other stakeholder agencies have started an exercise to test their preparedness to handle earthquake disasters. The exercise which opened at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Accra yesterday is code named Ahoboa. It aims at examining and discussing key areas of emergency preparedness within a realistic disaster setting in order to improve shared understanding of disaster management and response. Organised by the Ghana Armed Forces and NADMO, in conjunction with the British Army Joint Civil Military Coordination Group, it also seeks to build coordination and linkages between stakeholders in disaster management and prevention. The Civil-Military Coordination Group which assists overseas countries in similar exercises every year chose Ghana this year. Participants will be given an offshore earthquake scenario with its resultant damage and flooding to consider the various problems connected with the disaster and how to solve it. Opening the programme, George Isaac Amoo, National Coordinator of NADMO, said it was important that Ghana adequately prepared itself against any earthquake eventuality as the country was situated on two major earthquake faults. He said that although natural disasters such as tidal waves, earthquakes and windstorms had disastrous effects on vulnerable communities and on the environment, they could be prevented. He stressed that regular disaster preparedness exercises, including evacuation drills in schools and other institutions were key to ensuring rapid and effective disaster response, adding that the exercise was therefore "an important landmark in the country’s quest for adequate disaster preparedness" Mr Amoo expressed concern that the Act that established the NADMO did not provide disaster management structures at the various ministries, institutions and agencies to ensure that disaster concepts were incorporated into their development programmes and practices. He said that due to the lack of appropriate structures at the zonal or community levels, disaster management has so far been "weakest at the institutional and community levels where the functions of disaster management should rather be most effective" As a result of these and other operational ineffectiveness in the Act, he said NADMO had made some proposals and submitted them to Parliament for consideration and approval which would provide for a more efficient and effectively coordinated disaster management. He advised the participants to take the exercise seriously as it could happen in real life situations, adding "we shall take serious note of any lapses that may emerge and use them to improve our performance should the inevitable occur" Diana Boakye, NADMO acting Deputy National Co-ordinator in charge of disaster, said Ghana had since 1615, been experiencing earthquakes most of which occurred in the southern part of the country. She said that the major earthquake recorded in the country was on June 22, 1939 and stressed the need for Ghana to develop and test its contingency plans so as to be able to be on top of any disaster. Ms. Boakye stated that it was also important to establish an emergency fund to support the country’s preparedness, response and recovery activities. Source: The Ghanaian Times