Gambia For All (GFA)  Statement on the recent natural disaster caused by severe windstorm

As news becomes available of the extent and severity of Wednesday night’s windstorm, the Secretary General and Party Leader as well as the entire membership of Gambia For All (GFA) stand in solidarity with the victims who lost  livelihoods, and properties, and in some cases even their lives. We send sincere condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones.

The extent of the disaster is widespread, and it occurred at a time when many of the victims are going through particularly difficult times, especially for the vulnerable groups in our society. Against this background, there is an urgent need for a national mobilization of resources to provide immediate relief assistance to the victims.

Gambia For All would like to remind the Government that with climate change and variability, the frequency of natural disasters will increase and it is therefore important for the Government to develop the capacity to predict such occurrences through a functional and effective early warning system that would inform the general public in time. In addition, we must have in place a strategy to build the national as well as community resilience by taking into account climate smart strategies that will assist our people cope better with natural disasters in its various forms when they occur.

Policies and strategies focused on post-event relief assistance, though helpful, cannot be enough for combating the increasing and varied forms of disaster resulting from the impacts of climate change.

Communication Cell
GFA