UK supports disaster preparedness

Twenty nine participants from Government Ministries, Police, Fire Rescue Service, Medical Services, Colombo Airport (BIA), Sri Lankan Armed Forces, the National Disaster Management Centre and other bodies have benefited from a week-long training course on disaster management. The course was organised by the British High Commission in Colombo, and run by the prestigious Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre from 15-19 June.
The British High Commissioner, Dr Peter Hayes presented course certificates to the participants at the end of the course and commented: “The heart of disaster management is the ability to work together, across organisational boundaries, and to deal with whatever challenges present themselves. We are delighted to help Sri Lanka to prepare for such future shocks.”
This is the third national disaster management course the British High Commission has supported in Sri Lanka. The courses are funded by the UK Ministry of Defence and co-ordinated by the High Commission’s Defence Section. The Defence Advisor, Lt Col Anton Gash said:
“I am encouraged to see the continued high level of interest in this type of training and the robust ownership of the courses by the National Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka.”
It is 4½ years since the devastating Tsunami and much work has been done but many other possible disaster threats exist. Now that the country has entered a period of peace, more resources can be spent on reconstruction, new projects and development. More development will help to create more resilience, but it can also create new risks which must be identified and managed. Disaster Management will continue to be important as Sri Lanka enters a post-conflict phase.