Society Provides Training On National Disaster Response

Special Zones Vice Administrator and Agricultural Department Head, Ato Girma Bekele,while opening the training The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) organized a National Disaster Response Training (NDRT) program which was conducted from October 21 to 25, 2013 in Kemise town of Oromia Special Zone, Amhara Region. While opening the training, the Special Zones Vice Administrator and Agricultural Department Head, Ato Girma Bekele, highlights the longstanding presence and the working relationship of ERCS with the administration towards responding to disasters such as the Dawa Cheffa flash food. Ato Girma recalls that ERCS is one of the first humanitarians to instantly reach out for the victims of that flash flood. He also expressed his gratitude for the Societys humanitarian deeds that were also manifested at that flood disaster. The Society has engaged itself in social services and charitable activities for past 78 years, he added. The training would help in building the capacity of the trainees thereby approaching communities based on comprehension. Ato Kassahun Habtemariam, Disaster Preparedness Program Coordinator of ERCS says, the training eyes on availing its own sufficient human resources in all the regions that would be part of the Societys direct involvement in disaster response endeavors. The training which is also organized in a bid to familiarize the trainees with the terms and concepts related to disaster management, able them identify the types of disasters. Five kilometers away from the venue of the training, at vicinity known as Dawa Cheffa, flash flood washed away at least 31 persons on August17, 2013 is located. The trainees indicated that the training would have paramount importance in understanding disasters and how to cope up with them. One of the trainees Hamza Hussein Ali is a program officer in ERCS Dire Dawa Branch Office. He is confident that the training would build the capacity of branch offices in responding to disasters. Twenty two participants drawn from all its regional and zonal branch offices except Afar attended the training. Participants of the training