Dedza council to set up disaster coordination centre

Dedza District Council is planning to establish an emergency operation centre (EOC) to improve coordination among government departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during disasters.

District commissioner (DC) James Kanyangalazi said in an interview on Wednesday that preparations and response efforts to various disasters that yearly hit the district are hampered by lack of proper collaboration among various stakeholders in the district.
He said the EOC will provide to be a platform where officials from different government departments and NGOs can meet and make strategic decisions that can protect lives and properties when disasters strike.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a two-day training on EOCs facilitated by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma), which drew participants from various government departments and NGOs in the district.
“The EOC is effectively going to be an office bringing together officials from various sectors, under one roof, to enhance team work in managing disasters when they strike,” he said.
The training was funded by Concern Universal (CU) under a project called Developing Innovative Solutions with Communities to Overcome Vulnerability and Enhance Resilience (Discover), which is being implemented in the area of Senior Chief Kachindamoto. n