Disaster damages could be minimised with quick response

German Ambassador in Dhaka Albrecht Conze on Wednesday said disasters will always occur but their amplitude can often be reduced by quick reaction with sound preparedness. The German diplomat made the remark at a press conference here where the returnees of a Fire Safety Mission from Germany shared their experiences. The press conference was arranged as part of Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), a new project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German government. Conze hoped that the knowledge-sharing component of the initiative would quickly benefit Bangladesh’s disaster response capacity. “This country has a long history of brave response to disasters. The experience is there.” Stressing the importance of this timely initiative, the Ambassador recalled the tragic accidents of Tazreen Fashions and Rana Plaza and underscored the necessity of an effective disaster management mechanism in Bangladesh with strong and capable actors across different segments of society. However, Germany may be able to help when it comes to planning, methodology, logistics and the use of state of the art equipment in order to reduce casualties in the future”, Conze added. Earlier in the day, a workshop on establishing community fire brigades was held,  according to a news agency.