One person died whiles 1,767 residents were rendered homeless in separate floods that hit Asuboni-rails in the Kwahu West Municipality and Akyem Bososu in the Fanteakwa South District of the Eastern Region respectively.
The Asuboni-rails flood which occurred some few days ago killed one person and displaced 1,168 residents affecting 72 houses, while the four-hour down pour that occurred at Asuboni saw 599 residents displaced with six houses collapsing.
The situation has left the victims with no other option than to take shelter in classrooms of public schools and in churches, while others perched with relatives and friends.
The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly together with the Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) presented some relief items worth GH¢40,000 to the victims of the Asuboni-rails.
The items include 46 bags of rice, 20 boxes of cooking oil, 130 pieces of blankets, 250 pieces of rubber bowls, 170 rubber buckets and seven bales of second hand clothes.
The rest were 200 pieces of drinking cups, 100 pieces of mats, 150 pieces of mosquito nets, 1,140 pieces of mosquito coils and 141 pieces of rubber plates.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Kwahu West, Mr Yaw Owusu Addo, presenting the items to the victims said the government was committed to supporting victims with relief items to bring back some smiles on their face although they could not recover all their lost properties.
He pledged that the government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, would help address the perennial floods in the area, and expressed the hope that the items would assuage the plight of the people.
The Kwahu West Municipal NADMO Director, Alhaji Mohammed Hamidu explained that the relief items were acquired by the government with support from the public through Delight FM, a local radio station to reduce the suffering of the people.
The Kyidomhene of Asuboni-rails, Nana Boatey Akwafram who received the items on behalf of the victims thanked the government, NADMO and the assembly for the gesture.
The Fanteakwa South District Director of the National Disaster management Organisation (NADMO), Maxwell Owusu Banerman, described the situation as devastating, saying that, “we need logistics like life jackets to help save people in such situations.”
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for the area, Kofi Okyere Agyekum, has also donated relief items to the victims with assurance that he would raise the issue on the floor of parliament.
He said the Ministry of Works and Housing has made some financial commitment to construct storm drains in the community to fix the chronic flooding problem.
FROM DAVID KODJO, KOFORIDUA
