Victims of the Chamba rainstorm in the Nanumba North Municipality of the Northern Region are complaining about the delay in distributing relief items for them by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The rainstorm which occurred on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, destroyed roofings of various schools, damaged learning materials and other valuables.
The rainstorm also destroyed 548 houses, rendering several residents homeless with six schools out of eight at Chamba being closed down indefinitely.
The Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, who doubles as the MP for Bimbilla Constituency, after the rainstorm visited the affected communities in the company of Director General of NADMO, Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, to ascertain the extent of damage caused by the storm.
The Director General of NADMO then assured the victims that NADMO would come again a week later to distribute relief items to them but up till now the victims claim they are yet to get any help.
Most of the victims whose houses were completely destroyed are stranded and are putting up with other relatives.
Emmanuel Denteh, a teacher, told DAILY GUIDE that he took a loan to complete his house ahead of his retirement this year but his house was destroyed during the rainstorm.
According to him, he and the family are currently stranded and appealed to government to come to their aid.
“I just finished with the house and we were about to pack into it and the rainstorm destroyed it. Now myself and my family of six are living with a friend who gave us a single room and we are packed in it, the bank won’t mind about the rainstorm because all they want is their money, and I am surviving with only GH¢500 a month, with my family it’s a difficult situation.”
The Nanumba North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Abdulai Yaqoub, in an interview, assured that the affected victims will receive their relief items very soon.
He disclosed that steps are being taken to get in touch with the Administrator of the Common Fund to make some funds available from its emergency fund to put some public institutions affected like the health center, police station and some schools in good shape.
The Defence Minister has already supported victims of the Chamba rainstorm with 3,500 roofing sheets.
FROM Eric Kombat, Chamba