PREPARING FOR DISASTERS

THE announcement by the Geological Survey Department (GSD) that there was an earth tremor at Kokrobite near Accra last Monday once again exposes our capacity to handle disasters in the country.
What makes the situation disturbing is the fact that the tremor could have resulted in a tsunami if its energy had been strong enough to lift the sea water.
Many Ghanaians have read in newspapers and watched on television the devastating effects of a tsunami. Although what happened last Monday was limited to the Kokrobite area, it was a strong signal that a tsunami might not be alien to or far away from us.
That is why every effort should be made to retool all disaster management organisations so that if any disaster occurs, some relief could be offered to the victims.
It is unfortunate that we are unable to prepare adequately for the rainy day. That is why our cities and towns are easily flooded even after a few hours of torrential rains.
We have been witnesses to the destructive effects of floods in our cities and towns resulting from our disregard for basic sanitation regulations.
In July 1995, a few hours of torrential rains in Accra killed several people and rendered many others homeless. The equipment of some industrial plants in the city was damaged. Even this year, several people have lost their lives as a result of floods.
Last year, the then Ga West District Assembly moved to demolish some houses built on water courses in the Lafa Basin because the structures obstructed the free flow of flood water.
Our preparedness to deal with emergency situations is suspect in all spheres of national life. Our health facilities lack ambulances to convey the sick to referral points; ambulance services are woefully inadequate to render emergency services to people in distress. In such circumstances, commercial vehicles such as taxis and trotros, and even in some extreme cases trucks, have to be relied on to provide help for those in distress.
The government has, however, provided some support for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the National Ambulance Service to improve their capacities to respond to emergency situations. But the assistance is not adequate to deal with disasters.
The Daily Graphic calls on the government to look at the GSD by providing it with more resources to replace its obsolete equipment and its seismological observatories at Weija, Accra, Kukurantumi and the Shai Hills so that it can record the necessary data after every tremor.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency equally requires some support to enable it to provide adequate data for farmers to undertake their ventures, as well as provide comprehensive weather information for industrial users and the public.
The level of devastation caused by the earthquake in the Sichuan Province in China and the floods in Burma should remind all of us about the changes in climatic and geological conditions and for these realities to spur us on to mobilise resources in readiness for any relief efforts.
Our present state of preparedness is not good enough and the signals are clear that we continue to ignore the danger signals at our own peril.
The Daily Graphic is mindful of the competing ends, but we must prioritise our needs so that we prepare adequately to meet the exigencies of our time, instead of behaving like the vulture which postpones the building of its nest anytime the danger signals disappear.