The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) on Friday launched a K25 million mobile Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which is a central control unit used for coordinating response operations during disasters.
The launch was held in Chikwawa District.
MRCS President Levision Changole said the mobile EOC, which has been procured with funding from Netherlands Red Cross Society, will enhance coordination during disaster response.
“The Malawi Red Cross Society does not work in isolation; it works with various humanitarian partners. For us to assist the affected effectively, we need to have all humanitarian partners within reach and this mobile EOC will serve that purpose since it will be used as an office for various humanitarian partners during emergency operations,” said Changole, whose organization also plans to construct a health centre at Mwalija Villlage, T/A Kasisi, Chikwawa District.
On his part, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction in the Ministry of Disaster Management Affairs, James Chiusiwa, said the mobile emergency operations centre is in line with government plans.
“It [the mobile EOC) will greatly assist the ministry and humanitarian stakeholders in coordinating various disaster response operations, since we cannot have EOCs in all the districts,” he said.
Chiusiwa added that government will construct two EOCs in Zomba and Blantyre.
“The ministry is implementing an early warning systems project which is being funded by the Green Climate Fund, through the United Nations Development Programme. Under the project, we intend to construct two emergency operations centres, one in Zomba and the other one in Blantyre, which will serve as a district and regional EOC,” said Chiusiwa.
