By Sulaiman Jalloh

Lieutenant General (Rtd) Brima Sesay, Director General of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has said response and recovery in disaster management cannot be done by just one person, nothing it has to be a collective effort. “When it comes to disaster management, preparedness and response, it has to be collective and properly coordinated,” the NDMA boss said.

Speaking at the government’s weekly press briefing on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation conference hall in Freetown, the former army general said the recent seven-storied building that collapsed at Shell New Road, east Freetown, claimed the lives of sixteen people while eight of the twenty-four recovered sustained injuries.

According to the NDMA boss, following the tragic collapse of the seven-storied building on September 16, 2024, the agency went into a swift search and rescue operation. “The agency went into action immediately,” Lieutenant General Sesay noted, while acknowledging the support received from military engineers and private engineering sector, including Gento Group of Companies, Marampa Mines, Sierra Rutile and JB Logistics.

He said JB Logistics was the first firm to voluntarily provide equipment to support the process, while Shuman’s Hospital offered medical and psychosocial support at the incident command centre. He stated that money abut fifty-five million old Leones was recovered during the search and rescue process and was returned to the owner.

He further emphasized the importance of collaboration in disaster management, noting that effective preparedness and response require the efforts of multiple institutions, saying NDMA alongside other relevant authorities will continue to work on providing aid to survivors and mitigating the aftermath of this tragic incident.

Mr. Sesay revealed that a nearby two-storied structure was destroyed while two other structures and a mosque were partially destroyed.