The National Disaster Management Committee under the office of the Vice President Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy will embark on a 5 day monitoring and assessment visit to all the regional and municipal disaster management committees across the country from Monday 30th June to Friday 4th July 2008.

The visit according to reports is to assess the state of readiness of regional and municipal disaster management committees prior to the full onset of the rains.

The visit will among other things, reports added is to evaluate the measures put in place to mitigate the impact of last year's floods and destruction notably in Kuntaur, Gambisara, Ebo Town, Sinchu Baliya, to name a few and what preparedness measure may be needed in due course.

Since disaster management is a multi sectoral activity, response to hazards and disasters are often multi-sectoral and multi-agency in nature as was evident during the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) intervention in Ebo Town in 2007.

The monitoring team, reports added will include some UN agencies and NGOs who have been very instrumental in complementing the efforts of the NDMC over the years.

The monitoring team will be led by the office of the Vice President, and will include, UNDP, Concern Universal, UNFPA, the Gambia Red Cross Society and the Disaster Management Support Project.

The team will commence in the North Bank Region on Monday 30th June with meetings in Kerewan, followed by subsequent meetings in Janjanburreh, Central River Region, Basse - Upper River Region, Mansakonko - Lower River Region, Brikama - Western River Region, KMC and Banjul.

Regional governors and mayors are kindly requested to coordinate these meetings in their respective regions and municipalities and to ensure full and active participation of committee members during these visits.

The office of the Vice President thanked NGOs, civil society organisations, local councils, regional and municipal committees, security and emergency services, UNDP and other UN agencies and all other partners for their unflinching support and commitment to communities during disasters and emergencies in the country.