Dear Editor,

I am not happy writing this letter as I continue to see disturbing images from the disaster in Turkey on television, newspapers and social media.

Last night, I saw a short clip of how a baby was miraculously saved after spending nearly six days under rubble. The baby’s immediate family was, however, nowhere to be found at the time of the report. Rescue teams in Turkey are reported to be doing a yeoman’s job in spite of limited resources.

I express my condolenc­es to the people of Turkey but remain hopeful that we would receive good news sometime soon about the search for our own Chris­tian Atsu. The conflicting reports about his where­abouts is not what we ex­pect at this time. And those peddling false news must be guided.

Meanwhile, the happen­ings in Turkey sparked my thoughts about our coun­try’s emergency response system. I have been think­ing aloud whether or not there are robust structures, personnel and logistics to quickly respond to disas­ters of any kind in Ghana, should the unfortunate happen.

I know the security agencies and the National Disaster Management Or­ganisation (NADMO), for in­stance, would always be on top of their game as they did during the June 3 flood and fire disaster in Accra.

But beyond these insti­tutions, have we or are we putting in place adequate measures and developing the right competencies and rapid response mechanisms for the future?

No one is predicting doom but events across the world should always provide a clue on how to handle our situation. I strongly believe we must start or continue doing the needful so we are never caught off guard.

Mavis Konadu Tetteh,

Mamprobi-Accra.