Flood victims get relief

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) says it has begun providing relief to communities worst hit in last Wednesday's flood while it continues its assessment of the disaster.

"We realised the need to move in quickly with relief to certain areas in order to prevent secondary disasters," Mrs Eunice Asamani Osae, Director of Administration of NADMO, told the Ghana News Agency. Distressed areas such as Kasoa and Adabraka Official Town/Odawna required immediate relief to prevent the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and pneumonia.

Mrs Osae said mattresses and blankets were being mobilised for about 300 displaced people at Kasoa who are currently sleeping in the mosque. The Interior Minister, Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu will also be presenting relief items to the victims, mostly artisans at the Odawna area who live mainly in kiosks and abandoned vehicles.

"You see, we are talking about a situation where those people are now sleeping on top of the vehicles in this kind of weather."

Mrs Okae who had earlier appealed for logistic support for the NADMO said there had been some positive response from UN agencies. "We have moved a little but not too far."

She confirmed that so far 11 people died in the floods, which affected some 139,000 residents and displaced about 80,000.

The floodwaters, the worst since July 1995, wrecked havoc to properties worth billions of cedis. 23 bridges linking Accra and surrounding areas have collapsed.

Government Spokesperson, Elizabeth Ohene says a Committee will be set up to facilitate the work of the relief agencies. Relief workers are also expected to erect tents as temporary accommodation for displaced persons. She however stressed that the temporary accommodation should not be become permanent place for the victims some of whom live in very indecent places.

Government is however contemplating financial compensation for some of the victims, particularly those who have lost relations in the flooding.

US President, George Bush has indicated his country's readiness to provide Ghana with relief services if necessary. He said this when Ghana's President, John Kufuor called on him at the White House. The two Presidents held discussions on bilateral issues and security matters on the continent.

In a related development, the People's National Convention (PNC) has called on government to declare Upper East Region, a disaster area.

The party's call follows the invasion of the Region by army worms from neighbouring Burkina Faso.

The party's presidential candidate in the 2000 general election, Dr Edward Mahama, who made the call said the worms which invaded the region from Kulungugu-Mognori border in the Bawku District have destroyed several hectares of food crops like maize and millet, compounding the food crisis in the area caused by this year's erratic rainfall pattern.

He told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview that the declaration of the region as a disaster area would facilitate the mobilisation of resources to support the vulnerable who are mainly children and women.

Dr Mahama said the persistent food shortage in the region and the concern of Parliament about the hike in food prices in the country brings into focus PNC's policy of 'Operation self-reliance', which hinges on the adoption of irrigated farming for an all-year-round food production.

"If PNC had won the 2000 elections we would have concentrated more on agriculture under the national.