Asuboni-Rails flood victims receive GH¢40,000 assistance

Two hundred and fifty out of 1,168 people displaced by floods two weeks ago at Asuboni-Rails in the Kwahu West Municipality in the Eastern Region as a result of heavy rainfall have been presented with relief items worth GH¢40,000 by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in partnership with the municipal assembly.

 The items comprised 46 bags of rice, 20 boxes of cooking oil, 130 pieces of blankets, 250 rubber bowls,170 rubber buckets and seven bales of second hand clothing.

Also included were 200 drinking cups, 100 mats, 150 mosquito nets, 1,140 packets of mosquito coils and 141 rubber plates.

Campaign for support

The floods claimed one life. In addition, 72 houses were destroyed, compelling the victims to take occupancy in classrooms and churches while others took up residence with relatives and friends.

Following the incident, a local radio station at Nkawkaw, Delight FM, waged a campaign to solicit support from corporate bodies, businesses, individuals and the assembly for the victims.

Presentation

The Municipal Chief Executive ( MCE ) for Kwahu West, Mr Yaw Owusu Addo, who had visited the victims soon after the incident, said the donation was in fulfilment of a promise the assembly and NADMO made to support the displaced with relief items and to put smiles back on their faces.

“We are here to fulfill the promise we made two weeks ago to support you. We hope that this token will go a long way to help you back on your feet,” he said.

Mr Addo pledged that the government was working in collaboration with other stakeholders to address the perennial flood situation in the area.

According to the MCE, the houses that collapsed in the flood crumbled easily because they were built of mud bricks and were not strong enough to withstand the gush of floodwater.

Gratitude

The Kyidomhene of Asuboni-Rails, Nana Boatey Akwafram, received the items on behalf of the victims and thanked the government, NADMO, and the municipal assembly for the gesture.

He expressed his regret over the death of one of the flood victims, an old lady, who succumbed two days after the incident.

According to the Kyidomhene, two main rivers that passed through the community overflowed their banks on that fateful day, which contributed largely to the flooding in the community.

He appealed to the government to help them to reconstruct their damaged buildings so they could live in peace once again.

A flood victim, Mrs Fati Saaka, on behalf of the displaced persons also expressed her gratitude to the government for coming to their aid.

She called on the municipal assembly to construct drainage systems in the community to easily cart away runoffs whenever it rained heavily.