President John Evans Atta Mills on Monday visited flood-hit areas in the Eastern Region where he sympathised with the affected persons.

He commiserated with the bereaved families and affected people, and directed the National Buffer Stock Company to release 2000 bags of maize, 2000 bags of rice and a quantity of cooking oil to the affected persons to assuage their suffering.

President Mills has also ordered for more outboard motors and boats to ferry people across the waters that had severed communities and made transportation difficult, and promised that the government would do what it could to assist the victims.

Five people were reported dead, more than 9000 people displaced, more than 700 houses affected, and extensive damage caused to farms, crops, roads, and personal property, following more than 36 hours of rain in some parts of the Region last week.

The situation, which the Regional Minister, Dr. Kwesi Apea-Kubi, blamed on the massive deforestation and siltation as a result of illegal mining, commonly called “galamsey”, has according to him led to an overflow of the banks of the Birim River in some communities of the Kwahu West, Fanteakwa, Atiwa, Birim Central, Kwaebibrim and West Akim Districts in the Region.

President Mills, accompanied by ministers of state, and officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), first stopped at the Akim Oda Zongo and Akim Jamaica, where a number of houses were partly submerged in the flood and people were taking refuge in school and churches buildings.

The God Way School was entirely swallowed by the waters and people have been evacuated but domestic animals cried in the waters in vain.

President Mills advised the people against any attempts to save more property to avoid losing more lives, saying Life was precious and must be protected.

He said government would strictly enforce environmental laws to protect the people from such disasters.

Until the 48 Engineer Regiment arrived, people had to pay at least two Ghana cedis before they were ferried across the River, bringing almost all trading and farming activities to a halt in the area.

President Mills waded in the water and later got on a boat, and was ferried to Kade where he sympathised with the people and assured them that government would step in with the necessary interventions.

The President, in an apparent reference to the current debate on the acquisition of more aircraft for the armed forces, rallied the support of Ghanaians to support efforts to equip the military to deal effectively with emergency situations.

Mr Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Office of the Presidency, said the acquisition of the aircraft was long overdue.

The NAMDO, the 48 Engineers Regiment and the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ministry of Roads were available and were studying the situation and come out with immediate interventions.

President Mills also went to Akyem Muoso, and interacted with the families that have lost their dear ones in the flood.

He shared in their grief, and commended those who volunteered to prevent the loss of more lives.

President Mills assured the people that government would do its best to assuage the pain of the families of those who lost their dead ones.

Two of the dead have already been buried.

Mr Kofi Portuphy, NADMO Co-ordinator, announced that government would contribute to the expenses of those already buried, and ensured that the rest were given a decent burial.

Government would also provide the needed assistance for the affected and displaced persons.