The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) has provided transitional relief support to some flood victims in highly pronounced disaster-hit districts of the Upper West Region, following the havoc wrecked by torrential rains since August 13.
The Upper West Regional Manager of the GRCS, Mr Jeremiah Afako led a technical support team from the Red Cross headquarters, Accra including staff of SWISS Red Cross and volunteers of GRCS in the region to support the victims who were displaced as a result and also to undertake full assessment of the disaster damage.
Speaking in a brief on Wednesday August 25, 2021, the National Disaster Manager of the GRCS, Mr Jonathan Hope said the team from Accra came down upon receipt of information from a joint report of the GRCS and National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in the region.
“We received first-hand information but we needed to be here to also ascertain the situation ourselves, so we've gone round to assess the level of the disaster and the needs of the people,” Mr Hope stated.
He said displaced residents in the hard-hit communities were supported with family tents, which can contain 6 family members and shelter kits, which are also used to enclose partially collapsed but strong buildings.
He cited, for instance, in Tinniabe in the Wa East District, a family was still staying in a partially collapsed building which was unsafe, the support team immediately fixed a shelter kit for them.
Mr Jonathan Hope observed that the use of mud to construct houses was a cause of concern as the mud is very weak and susceptible to being severed and collapsed with the least torrential rains.
The GRCS team, thus, admonished victims and residents to consider building their structures with concreted foundations to avoid soaking and collapsing in the future.
The Disaster Manager however lamented that some disaster-hit communities were not accessible by road due incessant flooding waters.
“Our biggest challenge has to do with the road…there are a lot of other communities that were affected but it is not accessible. We wanted to move to one community but the whole road is cut off so we have to move back.”
On his part, the Upper West Regional Manager of the GRCS, Jeremiah Afako, said the Red Cross in the region received reports of the floods on August 13 and has since then been on the grounds monitoring, supporting and undertaking assessment of the destruction together with the NADMO.
He noted that the initial assessment reports were sent to the GRCS headquarters, reason for which the team from Accra came down to also ascertain the damage and offer an intermediate support.
Mr Afako said a lot of valuables have been affected by the floods in the affected areas and rather more severe in the Wa East District, based on their assessment.
He admonished victims and residents to move up shores to highland areas to guarantee the safety of their lives and their families.
“What we can say is that, they should move to places of safety to themselves first before any other thing because when you lose your life, everything other thing is gone,” Mr Afako admonished.
The support team visited affected communities in the Daffiama-Busie-Issa (DBI) and Wa East districts where the effects of the floods are highly pronounced.