A total of 69 households that are among the many victims of the this year’s flashfloods in the Central River Region, Wednesday received relief materials in the form of food and non-food items from the National Disaster Management Agency through its Regional Disaster Management Committee in the region. The items donated included rice, detergent and other food items and were distributed in communities such as Mamut Fana, Bati Njoll, Mbayen, Torro and Bamba Kolong.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony held at Bamba Kolong village, the regional disaster management coordinator, Bubacarr Fofana, expressed sympathy to the affected families. He called on them to be mindful of the way they construct their houses, cautioning that settling on waterways can cause havoc. This, he said, can cause property damage, social and economic disruption. While noting that the response to the disasters will mitigate the plight of the affected people, Fofana spoke at length on some methods of disaster risk reduction which will minimise vulnerabilities. He finally challenged them to embark on tree planting exercise, saying that it will serve as wind breakers.

The ward councilor for Jareng, Madi Gaye, commended the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) through the regional office for their humanitarian gesture. He asserted that the donated items will meet the basic subsistence needs of those people affected. Gaye then called on his people to avoid settling on waterways in order to minimise disaster occurrences.

The alkalo of Bamba Kolong, Musa Ceesay, for his part, applauded the NDMA for their magnanimity, adding that the donated items would go a long way towards the pre-disaster living conditions of the stricken communities. He assured them that the advices given will be seriously taken into consideration.