A Call For Simulating Of Institutional Disaster Preparedness Plans In Ghana

Disaster preparedness plans by the cooperate world and state agencies, institutions and organizations primarily are tools required in emergency/disaster response at the individual, society and community levels of our environment.

Unfortunately, some disaster preparedness plans are prepared purposely to meet the local legal or international laws for certification, permit issuance, and operations and to avoid sanctions and penalties consequences such as deletion of name, suspension, ban, revocation of license /permit, flagging, confiscation of assets and sometimes halts operations.

The worse of all is that practically, many disaster preparedness plans are inaccessible to the public for the fear that communities or users will mount pressure, when those plans are suppose to be develop and prepared with the direct potential vulnerable group(s) active participation just like an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) public hearing. Again, majority of disaster preparedness plans are hardly simulated or in some cases lack routine simulation exercises which normally provide feedback loops for lessons learnt to be implemented during their periodic reviews. The fact is that, a disaster preparedness plan without simulation exercises is not a plan, because rehearsals barrier have been created.

I therefore call on both private and public organizations to emulate University of Cape Coast and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) joint-annual-simulation - exercise which comes off next week in cape coast, central region.

Submitted by: Iddrisu Neindow Baba (Disaster Management Student)

Cell: 0207450347 Geography and Regional Planning Department of University of Cape Coast (UCC).