Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has led a high powered government delegation to visit affected areas and victims of a recent flood that has hit Tamale in the Northern Region.
The delegation was sent by the president to assess the situation and report to him for remedial actions to be taken.
Four people were reported dead and many rendered homeless with properties worth millions of cedis destroyed.
Three of the dead were identified as Hajia Fati Bapuni, a 54 year old teacher whose body was found in her car, 13 year old Sulemana Hamran, a pupil of Bethel Methodist Primary School, Tishigu, and Haliya Alhassan, 8 years, a pupil of the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School.
The fourth person is yet to be identified.
The Vice President and the delegation visited the families of the dead and displaced persons in the region.
Some dignitaries who accompanied the Vice President include Minister for Information Mustapha Hamid, Defence Minister Dorminic Nitiwul, National Nadmo Coordinator, Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery , Northern Regional Minister Salifu Saeed, Deputy Northern Regional Minister Solomon Boar, Northern Regional Police Commander ACP Patrick Sarpong and other security officers.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has described the heavy downpour in Tamale as a sad day for Ghana.
According to him, the deceased Hajia Fati Bapuni was his classmate at Sakasaka Primary School and was sad she was no more.
He consoled the family and assured them of government’s support to cater for the children the deceased left behind.
The Northern Regional Minister Salifu Saeed also assured affected families of government’s support.
The brother of Hajia Fati Bapuni, Abdul Karim expressed his gratitude to the government and the Northern Regional Minister for their love and sympathy.
He said, “We are thankful to the Vice President and his entourage for coming to mourn with us. We say God bless and keep them and give them all the needed wisdom to keep the nation moving.”
Alhaji Abdulai Hindu, the NADMO Northern Regional Director indicated that, the flood could be attributed to haphazard settlement saying most houses were built on waterways.
He blamed the chiefs and the survey department for negligence.
“There is no education to prospective land and house owners of the consequences of building on waterways. Most drainage systems in the region are poorly constructed,” he stressed.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale