The purpose of the exercise was to enhance the capacity of stakeholders on how to administer the newly developed NDMA standardised form on disaster assessment.Speaking at the training programme, Poulo O.N Joof, the North Bank Region's disaster coordinator, said the training is aimed at building the capacity of stakeholders with the appropriate skills and knowledge of how to support the regional disaster management committee in the assessment of all forms of disasters at community levels. 

He added that the training would help stakeholders to adopt common strategies of administering the forms and by extension, ensure that the lessons learnt from the training are effectively transfered to the grassroots structures. Joofasserted that the standardised form adopted by the agency would help to generate lot of information by ensuring that the agency continues to mobilise resources and be able to advise authorities on the magnitude of disasters, with the objective of mobilising resources, to help improve the plight of victims.

He therefore urged the beneficiaries to continue to serve as ambassadors of the NDMA and the communities towards the realisation of the objectives and goals.Ousman C Jallow, the Red Cross branch officer for North Bank Region, noted that the training would contribute to building cordial relationship between stakeholders and affected families in the application of forms.The GRCS officer alluded that rapid assessment of disasters would ensure that disaster issues are mainstreamed into community programmes and also to ensure that communities continue to be proactive in the management of disasters. Jallow said effective assessment of disaster is the bedrock to management and planning of disaster issues at the national level. He assured the victims of GRCS's continuous support.