By Foday Moriba Conteh
During the 11th November 2021 Press Briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHs) updated the public on the Wellington PMB fire incident.
Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Brima Sesay, Director-General, National Disaster Management Agency informed media practitioners that the institution was launched on the 19th November 2020, just few days to their first anniversary when the fire disaster occurred. He furthered that their response was swift as he immediately put together all their members of staff and volunteers to head for the location
The Director-General stated that NDMA divided the response process into three key stages; the emergency phase, which starts from day one to ten of the incident, the stabilization relief and early response stage from day 11 to day 30 and the response to the early recovery phase, that is from day 31 to day 90 of the incident.
The DG further stated that; “We were able to coordinate the National Fire Force and the Port Authority Fire Service to come immediately to the scene to help in putting out the fire; we also contacted the National Emergency Medical Services (NEMS) for an ambulance service, and they also responded immediately, which enabled the evacuation of both the injured and the corpses.”
He also intimated the press that the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society played a significant role in the evacuation process. He said, “They were all over the place in numbers and medical teams as well; we safely transported 99 affected persons to three hospitals that night.”
The DG added that, NDMA also transported 84 fatalities using ambulances and military vehicles.
“The Vice President was able to visit Connaught and 34 Military Hospitals the night of the incident and also visited the accident site the following morning and consoled the affected families.”
“His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, had to cut short his foreign trip to come and lead the overall response of the incident. The president also called on victims at various hospitals and visited the incident site to get first-hand accounts about the catastrophe,” the DG also stated.
In relation to how people should donate to the affected victims, the DG said it has been agreed by stakeholders within the disaster management circle that all donations should be done through the NDMA.
He furthered that the account numbers of the “Disaster Relief Fund Account” in Leone currency and the US Dollars are available to the public and added that the NDMA has been getting calls from people wanting to know how they can contribute to the relief efforts.”
The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr Austin Hinga Demby, affirmed that his Ministry has received lots of medical donations from the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone, the UAE including 6.6 tons of medical supplies and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr. Mustapha S. Kabba, who doubles as the Incident Manager for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, confirmed that 299 victims are recorded to date at the various city hospitals, and the death toll as of the 11th November has risen to 138. He confirmed that a total of 59 victims are undergoing treatment at the municipal hospitals.
