The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has today, Wednesday 29th September 2021 provided relief support for victims of flood and fire incidents in Freetown, Western Area. The team visited victims at Kamayama, Gento Drive Hill Station, Earl Street, and Owen Street off Mountain Cut community with urgent support to sustain the victim’s livelihood.
Handing over the assorted food and non-food items: blankets, zinc, nail, rice, cooking oil, and drinking buckets to the victims, the Chief of Cooperate services, NDMA, Kai Banya, said this was a relief package initiated by the government to support the livelihood of the victims and ease the burden of their loss; he reaffirmed that this is a continued effort coordinated by NDMA and its partners in responding to crises in the country.
Morlu Brewah, the Deputy Director of Relief and Response, said it is the good gesture of the president that led to the formation of the NDMA; victims should be thankful that the country has a visionary leader who strives to bring the most needed support to the victims.
He said before now the agency was under the Office of National Security (ONS), now separated for efficiency in leading as first responders and coordinators of all supports towards victims of a disaster.
Mohamed L. Bah, the Director of Communications, said, support to victims of disaster is crucial to sustaining their livelihoods, but people should avoid inhabiting places prone to disasters.
He encouraged community people not to keep combustibles in their homes and vacate from places prone to risk and hazard to their very existence. He cautioned that the victims are fortunate to make it alive and received government support, but the government could not bring alive lost souls in disasters, so people should heed the government’s call to vacate places of high risk.
The beneficiaries were happy and thanked the government for providing the much-needed aid; Jeneba Osman, a victim of the fire incident at Kamayam, said the support has brought smiles on her face and prayed that other victims receive similar support from the government/Agency.
A lactating mother, Maseray Sesay, said she was happy to survive the flooding that inundated their house and destroyed their properties and source of livelihood. She said she was thankful for this gesture and prayed that government continues to support people of similar situations. Maseray said she never thought of someone bring them support at this crucial time but thanked the government and partners for reaching out to them.
Seraph Kondeh, a handicapped, praised the government and first responders for bringing in the needed support. Sarah lost her husband in the fire outbreak that ravages their house at Earl Street. Kondeh appeals to the government and all well-wishers in supporting her and her only daughter that she will have to take care of as a single parent.
For More Enquiries:
Directorate of Communications
National Disaster Management Agency
Contact: +23278388946
Email: elbamohamed12@gmail.com
