DHAKA: Citing his favorite word ‘preparedness’, US ambassador to Dhaka Dan W Mozena elaborated that it is possible to minimize casualties during a disaster by ensuring adequate preparedness.

Mozena came up with this assertion at a program of fire extinguishing equipment handover to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence on Tuesday.

He said that several cities including Dhaka in Bangladesh are in the threat of earthquake.

He suggested that the country needs to follow the examples of infrastructure development of Chile’s Santiago city.

The city faced 8.3 magnitude jolt with a little damage, the envoy explained.

According to the diplomat, Bangladesh has earned the ability to face cyclone but not earthquake.

It is a very positive aspect that about 62 thousand people in Bangladesh have been trained to face disaster, he stated.

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) director Sajedul Hasan, disaster management and relief ministry additional secretary Shahid Ullah Mia, USAID mission director Janina Jaruzelski and Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence director general Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan, among others, spoke at the event.

However, USAID has handed over 12 containers of different kinds of fire fighting equipment to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Aviation.

BDST: 1228 HRS, NOV 18, 2014