General News of Thursday, 23 July 2009

Source: GNA

Residents of Nweneso loot relief items

Nweneso (Ash) July 23, GNA- A delegation from the National Disaster and Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Atwima Kwanwoma District Assembly on Tuesday had a shock of their lives when a consignment of relief items they were distributing to rain disaster victims at Nweneso Number one, were looted by some residents of the town.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency, at Nweneso after the incident, Mr Daniel Asuo-Afram, NADMO Co-ordinator for Bosomtwe and Atwima- Kwanwoma districts said his outfit had information that 70 houses and six electricity poles at the town had been destroyed by rainstorm. This led a number of people homeless and property worth several millions of cedis destroyed.

Mr Asuo-Afram said NADMO in collaboration with the district assembly mobilized 25 packets of roofing sheets and roofing nails, 40 student mattresses, 20 bags of rice, five bags of beans, four bundles of used clothing, 15 Wellington boots, 100 rubber cups, 100 rubber bowls and plates among oth er items which were to be presented to 31 beneficiaries.

He said the package valued at GH¢25,000 was to assist those who lost their belongings.

Mr Asuo-Afram expressed grave concern about the behaviour of the people and pledged to review how future relief items would be shared so that they could reach their rightful owners. Mrs Stella Owusu Aduomi, District Co-ordinating Director had earlier on urged the people of the area to plant more tress in the community to protect them from rainstorm.

She announced that the assembly wound next year provide the communities with seedlings for planting to help protect them from future rains disasters.

Mrs Aduomi called for the co-operation of the opinion leaders in the district to make the exercise a success. The team had earlier presented five packets of roofing sheets, 10 bags of cement and two packets of roofing nails to one Atia Frafra, a retired Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly worker, a resident of Foase whose house got burnt in June this year.

Atia Frafra commended them for the kind gesture and appealed to otherm public- spirited individuals and non-governmental organisations to come to his aid.