DHAAK: The US Chargé D’affaires David Meale commented that the joint exercise between Bangladesh and the US has better prepared them for the inevitable earthquake that will strike Bangladesh.

The envoy made this comment at Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange (DREE) program at Army Golf Club in city on Thursday.

‘I can say it is the most important because all of us are more prepared for a major earthquake in Dhaka City today than we were yesterday.’

About the exercise, he further said that it prepares Bangladesh to keep its place among the world’s best at helping its regional neighbors, and it prepares Bangladesh’s partners and neighbors to better assist when disaster strikes.

According to the envoy, it is imperative that civil-military cooperation continues to grow in future DREEs, and that regional partners both from the military and from non-military organizations participate in future DREE exercises.

‘It is also crucial that NGOs and international organizations play important roles in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance exercises, because we will all be called into action after a major earthquake happens.’

He hoped that exercises like DREE enhance the participants’ ability to understand each other, complement one another’s’ strengths and limitations, and respond more effectively.

‘Next year, we hope to conduct the first of many future regional DREE events, where participants from many countries contribute to an increasingly complex and dynamic set of exercises.’

BDST: 1954 HRS, SEPT 03, 2015
RR/SMS