September 8, 2017 By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
The National Security Coordinator, office of National Security (ONS),Ismail Sheriff Tarashid Tarawali, has yesterday in a press conference held at their headquarters on Tower Hill in Freetown updated and briefed journalists on their emergency response efforts to the August 14th Landslide and flood disasters.
He told pressmen that following the August 14 2017 landslide and flooding, a rapid impact assessment was carried out to determine the magnitude of the disaster.
“A level 3 emergency national security state classification was declared and all the established structures were activated and expanded,” he said.
Mr. Tarawalli said that to ensure effective coordination and response ,ten multi -sectorial pillars were activated including coordination such as health and burial ,logistics ,Socail mobilization and communications adding that Registration, water and sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) protection and psycho-Social, security ,shelter ,food and nutrition .
“These pillars have been working in a collaborative manner to deliver effective response to the emergency. At the epicentres and the various other affected locations, Incident Responses Centers (IRCs) were also activated to coordinate response effort,” he said.
The Security Coordinator stated that the collaborative efforts of the various stakeholders have led them through the search and rescue phase of the response, adding that government accorded a befitting burial ceremony to all compatriots, who perished in the disaster.
“Together with its partners, GOSL has been providing support to victims in all the IRCs.The relocation of some of the affected people in the IRCs has been done at Old Skool and commenced at Juba Barracks,” he said.
He revealed that the immediate and medium terms humanitarian and early recovery cash transfer programme have been developed to support the affected people, adding that the long term plan is that government was working on permanent housing option that will enhance the relocation of people from all disaster prone areas.
He expressed thanks and appreciation to the security sector institutions ,ministries, departments and agencies, volunteers ,local authorities ,CBOs,CSOs,NGOs,INGOs, the media ,countries in the Mano River union ,ECOWAS ,the AU and the international community for their timely empathy and support .