Sierra Leone : Government remember mudslide victims with a memorial service

The government of Sierra Leone has commemorated the August 14th 2017 Mudslide disaster with a memorial service held at St. Paul’s Parish, Church Regent.
By : our Starr Radio UK Correspondent in Sierra Leone Adebayo Johnson

Graves of the Victims of the mudslide – August 2017
It could be recalled that on August 14, 2017, more than 2,000 people estimated to be homeless as mudslide near Freetown submerges houses and turns streets into churning rivers.
Hundreds of people were killed during the mudslide near Sierra Leone’s capital city in, Freetown.
A hillside in Regent, a mountainous town 15 miles east of Freetown, collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning after heavy rains, leaving hundreds of people trapped. Funeral home in the capital of Freetown was overwhelmed with bodies, while relatives were left to dig through the mud in search of the remains.
Death tolls are unconfirmed, although the International Federation of Red Cross reports that 312 were killed and more than 1,000 affected. Disaster officials in Sierra Leone estimated 2,000 people were left homeless.
Hundreds were lying dead underneath the rubble,” and the disaster was very serious that I myself feel broken.
As August 14, 2018, clocks 1 year anniversary of peoples who were affected and losses their lives during the Massive Mudslides and Flooding, Sierra Leone government under the new direction held a memorial service at the St. Paul’s Parish, Regent to commemorate the lost and affected victims.
President Bio during the memorial service described the August 14th, 2017 mudslide disaster as a day of reflection for every Sierra Leonean.
He furthered that as a new Government, they are determined to learn the lessons from this tragedy and that is why his government is implementing and enforcing measures to reduce risk factors.
President bio furthered that the Sugar Loaf Mountain and its environs is an Environmentally Protected Area and anyone who builds on this environmentally protected area will be prosecuted and the building structure demolished. He continued that the Ministry of Lands, Housing & the Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency will enforce the protection of this environment.
He also stated that the government is Banning Stone Mining, Charcoal Burning and Fuel Wood activities in the Reserved Forest of Sugar Loaf Mountain, and The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for enforcing this as well.
His Excellency Julius Maada Bio furthered that since Today is about remembering the victims of this terrible tragedy, his government is converting the tragic scene into a National Tourist Memorial Park for reflection and as a Memorial to all Victims of this Tragedy.
The National Memorial Park will serve as Remembrance of Victims of this national Tragedy

Sierra Leone Mudslide August 2017
He concluded that ass a proactive and responsive Government, his Cabinet has endorsed the establishment of a National Disaster Preparedness and Management Agency. This he says is because Sierra Leone is the 3rd most vulnerable Country in the world at Risk to adverse Climate change, so we have to prepare ourselves for this with a National Disaster Preparedness and Management Agency.