Twenty-seven persons have been reported dead and nineteen injured after a week of torrential rains in the Upper East Region.
The worst-hit districts are the Builsa North, Builsa South, Kassena Nankana Municipal, Kassena Nankana West and Binduri.
Speaking to Citi News, the Upper East Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Jerry Asamani Aladago said most of the deaths were recorded in the Kassena Nankana West district.
“Over the past week, we have experienced this torrential rains. The heavily affected areas are Builsa North, Builsa South, Kassena Nankana East and West and the Binduri district. Even though we recorded some in other districts, these were the hard-hit areas.”
“In the Builsa North, we have recorded three deaths. One death is as a result of drowning in a river and the two were as a result of a building collapsing on them. Two deaths were also recorded in Navrongo but most of the casualties are in the Kassena Nankana West where we have recorded more than 13 deaths and one in Binduri. Our attention was also drawn to seven other deaths. So currently we have 27 deaths now. And the injured are 19,” he said.
He added that some of the injured persons are still in the hospital while others have been discharged.
The Upper East Regional NADMO Coordinator noted that a total of 286 houses also collapsed and “impartial or incomplete collapsing is 1,278.”
“For the number of displacements, we have almost about 640 but some of them have been taken in by family members and others are in schools.”
He also explained that a few graveyards have also collapsed adding that some of them are closer to boreholes.
“So we are hoping that if the water recedes, the health directorate will come in and assess these areas. And not until the water recedes, the agric directorate will not be able to check the destruction of crops and lands affected.”
Jerry Asamani Aladago said his outfit is assessing the situation and working assiduously to provide relief items to the affected persons.
“We are not quickening the relief stage because we are yet to take the data to be able to justify all these people whether male or female, kids, and their ages. That is the only way we can effectively distribute relief items when the data is taken.”
“I am currently in Accra to see how to mobilize the relief items and come down. If we get all these statistics, we will be able to target the various categories of human beings and their basic needs. Currently, we are giving out mat, blankets, and mosquito nets,” he stated.
This year’s minor rainy season has experienced an unusual downpour, causing flooding and other disasters in various parts of the country.
Aside from this situation in the Upper East Region, some 1,200 residents in Asuboni in the Eastern Region, for instance, have been displaced, causing them to seek refuge in a church building.
Also in Accra, communities like Alajo and Kotobabi have faced the same problem of flooding, displacing some people as a result.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has predicted more rains till November 2019.
Head of Forecasting at GMet, Mr. Joseph Poturphy told Citi News that “Whatever is happening now may be strange but it is not too strange because currently, we are in the minor season and sometimes it is more prominent than the major season. We will collate all the data and see how the minor season has fared against the major rainy season. For the rain, it will go into the early part of November.”
He further urged the public to always be mindful of the daily weather forecast issued by the Agency before stepping out to avoid any inconvenience.
