  Committee and oversee the implementation of the National Disaster Management Plan and risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery activities. Disaster Advisory Committee: consists of heads of relevant ministries responsible for approving DMO plans, advising the Council, promoting the National Disaster Management Plan and ensuring a coordinated inter-agency approach. Disaster Management Office: established within the Ministry for Natural Resources and the Environment, headed by the CEO and afforded the power to second officers from other agencies. Responsible for assisting agencies and communities identify, implement and participate in disaster risk reduction activities and programmes, coordinate activities and the implementation of the National Disaster Management Plan. The track record of the DMO since its establishment is impressive. The Plan itself is an achievement in that it details how a coordinated approach to disaster management and preparedness should take place within the Samoan context. Activities undertaken to date prove that this approach can be extremely effective. A number of successes include:    Regular newsletter: detailing all activities and relevant news related to the National Disaster Management Plan, which keeps relevant actors up to date on progress, helps to coordinate activities and ensures a strong and consistent message relating to disaster management and emergency preparedness. Community Disaster and Climate Risk Management Programme: designed to strengthen capacity of communities to better prepare and respond to disaster. Over July and August 2017 the programme was carried out in collaboration with the Samoa Met Service, Red Cross Society, FLO, Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority, MWCSD, MOH and Samoa Police – a truly cross-sectoral approach, which also incorporated M & E of programme impact. PARTneR & PREP Project Data Management System: training workshop organised by the DMO and facilitated by the SPC and GNS Science NZ for ten different ministries and agencies on the implementation of a national management system for data collection. The Inquiry heard family violence described as a ‘human tsunami’, ‘a national epidemic’, and ‘a human led disaster’. We dread natural disasters as a factor in life to be endured. We do not welcome these things but we did little to counter their impact upon us until 2007 when Government established the DMO. The wisdom of that move is seen in the degree of readiness and responsiveness with which Samoa can now