More than 1,000 houses have been submerged in water and over 6,000 people rendered homeless, following heavy rains that hit the North East Region last Wednesday.
The 12-hour downpour also led to the collapse of the bridge on the major road that links East Mamprusi Municipality and the West Mamprusi Municipality in the region, rendering travellers stranded at Tinguri-Gbane.
The North East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisations (NADMO), Mr Alhassan John Kwaku, disclosed these last Friday during a tour of the area by the Member of Parliament for Walewale Constituency and Minister of Children, Gender and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu and Ghana Highway Authority officials.
He said currently many of the affected were perching with friends and families, whiles other were sleeping in school buildings and churches.
“We are still on the field making the assessment, the figures may even be more than these,” he stated.
He said many of the affected people were at the overseas and they were yet to reach out to them, assuring that all affected victims would be catered for.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Eric Nana Agyeman-Prempeh, has presented relief items to the North East Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria, the Member of Parliament for West Mamprusi Constituency, Hajia Zuweira Lariba Abudu and the MCE for West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, Mr Aremeyaw Somo Lucky to be distributed to the flood victims in the region.
The items included, bags of rice, rubber buckets, plastic cups, plates, boxes of Maggi spices, boxes of salt, cooking oil, boxes of mackerel and bales of used clothings.
Presenting the items last Friday, Mr Agyeman-Prempeh said the gesture was part of the efforts of the Ghana Air Force to get to the aid of the victims as a matter of emergency.
He said many of such items would be delivered to the victims through the government and other benevolent organisations.
“When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo heard of the disaster, he quickly ordered us to mobilise items to get to the aid of the flood victims,” he stated.
He added that the disaster had attracted the attention of the President and he personally showed interest for more relief items to be sent to the region to save the victims.
“We are doing our possible best as officers of NADMO to ensure that they get to every single disaster victim in this country to make their conditions better,” he said.
He said even though disaster was natural, in some cases it could be prevented.
Mr Agyeman-Prempeh sai the North East Region was noted for being a flood-prone area, as a result of building on waterways, wetland areas and called on them to desist from building in such areas to prevent future disasters in the region.
He also called on the officials of the North East Regional Coordinating Council, to cooperate with the officials of NADMO to ensure smooth distribution of the relief items to the victims.
He, however, commended the MP for Walewale Constituency, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, for quick report of the disaster to the President for his quick intervention.
The North East Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria, thanked the NADMO boss for the swift response to support the victims.
He said the people of the region were happy upon seeing the arrival of the items, and urged him to do more for the affected people.
Mr Zakaria also called on the NGOs, philanthropists, civil service organisations, natives and indigenes of the area to come to the aid of the victims.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, WALEWALE
