By William Owusu Boateng
An Earthquake Simulation exercise code-named “Lignite Coast 2022 Preparedness” has been launched in Accra.
The event, which is a collaboration between the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and the North Dakota Guard of the USA, is to simulate damaging earthquake incidence to test the national response readiness, capabilities, and capacities.
It also aims at greasing the coordinating system between disaster management agencies to enable them to collaboratively handle disasters should they occur.
Launching the four-day programme also known as “Exercise ShikponWosomo”, Director General of NADMO, Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh identified the Greater Accra region as the vulnerable to any future earthquake disaster in Ghana and called for collective action to avert the possible occurrence.
The “Lignite Coast 2022 Preparedness” simulation is a product of a report by the Technical Committee put in place by government in 2019 to develop a framework for refocusing the country’s earthquake preparedness and response. The US government through its Embassy in Accra offered to help Ghana to implement the report which has culminated into the 2022 exercise.
The Director General of NADMO, Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh said, ”Accra, the capital city lacks open spaces where people can run in times of destructive earthquakes.”
The situation, he said, is more alarming considering the increasing population of the city.
An Officer of Security Cooperation at the US Embassy in Accra, Major Jarrod Simek lauded the partnership which has been in existence since 2004. He reiterated the need for collective efforts towards mitigating the impact of disasters like earthquakes.
The exercise which attracted observers from neighbouring Togo and Benin features agencies such as the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service, and the Ghana Health Service.
They will stimulate earthquakes with other secondary events like gas explosion and slope failure.
