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Govt forms c’ttee to disburse funds to June 3, 2015 twin disaster victims

The Minister of Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery yesterday inaugurated a special disbursement committee to oversee the disbursement of funds to victims of the June 3, 2015, twin disaster which occurred at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra in the Okaikoi South Municipality.

The seven-member committee chaired by Mr Seji Saji of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) would among other things collaborate with all groups and organisations that raised monies on behalf of the victims to ascertain how much was raised privately to ensure equitable disbursement.

In addition, the committee would also oversee to the disbursement of the donation of $200,000 received from the government of the Republic of Benin by the government on behalf of the victims following the unfortunate incident.

Inaugurating the committee, Mr Dery, said on June 3, 2015, the country experienced a major disaster as a result of the heavy and torrential rainfall which started in the late hours of Tuesday, June 2, and continued into the next day.

He said the heavy downpour caused many commuters as well as persons around the Pedestrian Shopping Mall around the Ghana Commercial Bank Towers to seek shelter in the nearby Goil Filling Station and while there, the unfortunate happened.

According to him, while the rising flood waters resulted in the loss of several lives and destruction of properties, the situation was exacerbated following an explosion at the filling station where most of the people were taking shelter.

“The National Disaster Management Organisation together with the other security agencies evacuated the injured persons for medical attention and the dead to the morgues of the 37 Military Hospital, Police Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Ridge Hospital,” he said.

Mr Dery explained that even though government responded through NADMO by providing for the victims of both the flood and fire incidents, the support only ended with the emergency response and relief.

He explained that the inability of government to go beyond the emergency response and relief was largely due to financial constraints as well as the difficulties with some of the families of the victims.

“As we speak, some of the injured are still visiting the medical facilities and treating their injuries at their own expense which had made life very difficult for them,” he emphasized.

Mr Dery expressed the hope that the disbursement though would not restore the victims to their former self would go a long way to reduce the burden they had being carrying over the period.

The chairman of the committee, Mr Saji expressed his gratitude to the Minister for the confidence reposed in them and pledged to ensure that funds received were disbursed through fair and transparent means.

The rest of the members of the committee are; Mr Gavivina Tamakloe, NADMO Director, Reconstruction and Mitigation, Lt. Col. Oduro, Office of the Chief of Staff, Mr Henry Nii Lante Plange, Metro NADMO Director, Mr Julius Azumah of the Central Administration of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Ellis Commey and Mr Andani Mahamudu, Director for Relief NADMO Headquarters.

By Cliff Ekuful

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