According to a press release, Internal Affairs Minister and Chairman of the NDRC, Morris Dukuly, officially launched the reactivation at a program held in Sanniquelle, Nimba County recently.

The release noted that during the launch, Minister Dukuly lauded the NRDC and international partners for their support to the program.

He said as part of Government’s commitment to minimize the effects of disasters, the National Legislature was on the verge of passing a Bill into law to establish a National Disaster Management Agency in Liberia.

The release said representing UN agencies at the program were Mr. Amos Ballahyan, Program Officer of WFP; Mr. Romeo Nyentue Bloh, Program Officer of UNMIL and Mr. Samuel Boakai of the UNDP, all of whom pledged their respective agencies’ continuous support to the setting up of a Disaster Management Agency in Liberia.

They also lauded the Government of Liberia for its commitment to better the lives of its citizens.

The release also said that the reactivation followed a 14-day County Disaster Management Committee Reactivation meeting held in eight counties.

It said the meetings, which was the first phase of the exercise, was organized to strengthen the preparedness and capacity of each of the 15 counties, and ran from June 18 to July 2, 2015.

The first phase, which was held in Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland, River Gee, Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Lofa and Rivercess, brought together Superintendents, County Inspectors, civil society organizations, women groups and the Liberian National Red Cross Society, among others.

It can be recalled that on May 22, 2012, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of Liberia and the World Food Program for the WFP to strengthen the government’s capacity in Emergency Preparedness and Response.
LINA RD/TSS/PTK