British army advises govt on emergencies
Aug 18, 2009
A British Army team has advised the Government, districts and NGOs working in Teso to plan for emergencies earlier with the available resources than wait for disasters to happen.
By Simon Naulele
A British Army team has advised the Government, districts and NGOs working in Teso to plan for emergencies earlier with the available resources than wait for disasters to happen.
The team from the Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG) is in the region to study disaster preparedness and response capability.
They have facilitated training workshops, held meetings with key stake- holders and assessed disaster management plans.
The findings will be reported to the Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister.
The exercise, code-named Civil Bridge 09, comprises UPDF officers, disaster management committee specialists and the media.
“It is important for government, districts and NGOs to prepare for any type of emergency with what they have now, than wait until it happens,†said Capt. Nicky Hughes, the group’s spokesperson, on Thursday
Hughes was addressing NGOs and district leaders in Katakwi.
She said everybody should be focused before disaster struck so as to minimise damages.
Capt. Jerome Kenyon, one of the team members, said though it was easy to secure funding after an emergency happened, it was difficult to secure funds if you had not planned for it.
“We are looking at the whole capability of disaster management and response in Uganda, starting from district to the national level,†said Maj. Dennis Westaway.
“We will be visiting all these organisations and see where the linkage is, the strength and weakness in providing coordinated response in the event of a national disaster,†he added.
A British Army team has advised the Government, districts and NGOs working in Teso to plan for emergencies earlier with the available resources than wait for disasters to happen.
The team from the Military Stabilisation Support Group (MSSG) is in the region to study disaster preparedness and response capability.
They have facilitated training workshops, held meetings with key stake- holders and assessed disaster management plans.
The findings will be reported to the Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister.
The exercise, code-named Civil Bridge 09, comprises UPDF officers, disaster management committee specialists and the media.
“It is important for government, districts and NGOs to prepare for any type of emergency with what they have now, than wait until it happens,†said Capt. Nicky Hughes, the group’s spokesperson, on Thursday
Hughes was addressing NGOs and district leaders in Katakwi.
She said everybody should be focused before disaster struck so as to minimise damages.
Capt. Jerome Kenyon, one of the team members, said though it was easy to secure funding after an emergency happened, it was difficult to secure funds if you had not planned for it.
“We are looking at the whole capability of disaster management and response in Uganda, starting from district to the national level,†said Maj. Dennis Westaway.
“We will be visiting all these organisations and see where the linkage is, the strength and weakness in providing coordinated response in the event of a national disaster,†he added.