The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), have extended their humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by severe flooding across Liberia during the rainy season in July.
The announcement of the extension of relief and response program came on Saturday, December 2, 2022, when the parties from NDMA and IRC reached out to flood victims in the New Matadi and Fanti Town communities, with the distribution of food and non-food items. Hundreds of affected community residents benefitted from the distribution.
The Deputy Executive Director for Operations at NDMA, Augustine F. Tamba, who visited several communities, including those of New Matadi, Plumkor, Logan Town and Duala, as well as the Norlvin Town, Todee District, Montserrado County, and Fahn Town, Margibi County, said that the impact of the floods led to the NDMA aiding those who were affected and seemed hopeless.
Tamba said, apart from its distribution of assorted food and non-food items in various flood surroundings in and out of Montserrado and its nearby counties, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount, through its Relief and Response Program, the NDMA and its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), have provided cash transfer by the means of Mobile Money.
He said a sum of US$164.50 has been given to household beneficiaries of the floods across the country.
Tamba, in furtherance, said during the assessment tour of affected flood communities and locations across Liberia the NDMA identified that 93,000 Liberians were suffering from flooding across the country, therefore initially after the assessment they decided to aid the flood victims. He said the project sought to address 972 household heads, which is summed up to nearly 4,000 Liberians.
Tamba continued that during the assessment, 48 flood communities were identified in Montserrado County, six in Margibi County and three in Grand Cape Mount County.
He further noted that, due to the NDMA identifying that 93,000 Liberians were suffering from flooding across the country, it was important that the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) seeks assistants from its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which responded by assisting the agency with additional 500 household heads, adding to the initial 972 household heads identified, bringing to total the number of 1,503 household heads benefitting from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) relief and respond project across Liberia.
Speaking further, Tamba promised that NDMA will not only respond but will solicit support from other partners on behalf of victims, in order to relieve their suffering.
For his part, Francis Passawe, Operational Coordinator of the IRC, said the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with over 30 years of humanitarian services to Liberians, is excited to collaborate with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to buttress government’s effort to assist the needed.
Passawe announced that the IRC, through the NDMA, will continue providing additional humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by severe flooding across Liberia.