The project is aimed at promoting stakeholders' responsiveness to the foundation of Community Disaster resilience through Early warning System.

Targeted communities for the two-day training from the two districts are; Kokroko, Tetegu, Gbawe, Gyatabuom, SCC, Amanfrom, Tsuba, Sanpa Valley, Old barrier, Krokrobite and Ashalaja.

Mr Patrick Brako Kumor, Municipal Chief Executive of Weija-Gbawe, said disasters reversed the country's development growth individually or collectively and poverty, urbanisation and climate change were the main factors exposing people and communities to disaster risks.

Mr Kumor added that "due to poor sanitation habits, every little rain caused flooding leading to loss of lives and property".

He said disaster risks reduction anchored on political riddle and it was predicted as being interconnected to development.

The disaster management in Ghana has witnessed a significant shift from a response approach to prevention and risks reduction approach in recent times.

"The World Bank has facilitated the development of a Disaster Risk Management Country Plan for Ghana and provided funding for its implementation" he said.

"The project interventions are designed to complement and build synergies with priority actions identified by Government of Ghana and its Developmental Partners in accordance of Hyogo Framework of Action 2005 to 2015."

Mr Kumor said the UNDP Human Development report, 98 per cent of those who died from natural disasters lived in developed countries and Ghana was one of the top ranking African countries in terms of exposure to risks emanating from seismic and multiple weather related hazards.

Historically, Ghana is exposed to natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, coastal erosions, droughts, tropical storms and wild fires.

He said earthquake and flooding of communities along the Densu mainly from the spillage of excess water from the Weija Dam were major disaster risks to Weija-Gbawe and Ga South Municipalities.

"As a result, the Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation has identified safe havens in the event of disasters" and called on the people to understand and respect the forces of nature and change their negative habits and attitudes.

He commended the PRS&D for organising the training session, which he said would shape the cause of the two Municipalities and Ghana as a whole.

"Today, we are taking crucial steps to disaster risks reduction, let us collaborate to win against disaster risks by acquiring knowledge on the topic".

Mr Emmanuel Nyarko Ankamah, the Coordinator of the Project, said according to Geological Research, the two districts were among the others that were sitting on one of the major earthquake fault lines in Southern Ghana.

He said besides that, a number of houses in the two districts were located in the flood plains of the Densu River and the Weija Dam. "Fire outbreaks caused by explosions from fuel stations (technological) compounded by deficiencies in their management, as well as occasional household fires have been a source of concern".

Mr Ankamah said the associated impacts included; loss of lives, livelihood and property and the poor households in the target area were inevitably weakened the most and like wealth, poverty had the potential to be transmitted from one generation to the next.

He said the PRS&D was responding to the communities' dilemma by conducting a pilot project in collaboration with actalliance and hope in action, all development partners to increase knowledge of disaster risks through better understanding of hazards.

He said at the end of the training session each district would develop District Hazard Mapping to reduce the magnitude of disaster.

"We will also dialogue on the four components of Early Warning Systems and the set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals, communities and organisations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss," he added.