NDMO continue Workshop to Review Plan and Act

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) held a one-day workshop yesterday to advance work on the current review process of the 1987 National Disaster Plan and 1989 National Disaster Act.

NDMO Director, Mr. Loti Yates said the workshop is part of an ongoing effort to advance ideas raised during the workshop held in Honiara two weeks ago.

He said unlike the first workshop, the one day workshop yesterday was to enable the Government, NGO and Faith-based organizations to see what a working group deduced from the discussions in the original workshop and push forward the process with more ideas.

Mr Yates thanked the Stakeholders who turned up, urging them to use the opportunity to add more views towards this important process.

A similar workshop will be organized for Thursday this week, for another group of Government, NGO and Faith based groups.

Following the two workshops there will be the writing up of guidelines that will help the drafting of the revised Plan and Act.

Mr Yates also explained that the revision of the two important documents was necessary after twenty years without review.

He explained that because the country is experiencing more disasters than cyclones nowadays, the plan and act need to be changed to accommodate for other hazards as well.

The review process is being coordinated by consultants John Norton from New Zealand, funded by the Fiji-based Pacific Geo-Science Commission, SOPAC, and Colonel Eric Ani from Papua New Guinea who is funded by the Solomon Islands Government.