Jerry Asamani, the Upper East Regional Manager of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has explained that getting relief items to disaster victims is a process and not an event.
Answering a question on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, about when victims of the rainstorms across the region would get some relief item, Mr. Asamani explained that the processes have begun and when enough data and needs assessment has been done on the victims, the necessary relief items would be handed over.
“Often when disaster strikes like this, we do not straight away go and give relief items to the victims. First of all, we want to collect the data. The data is collected, analysed and put in various categories”.
“How many houses are roofed; grass houses, zinc houses? That is where we know how the support will come. We are able to know how many men and women are affected. We have to also know how many pregnant women and children have also been affected; even the age categories,” he said.
Mr. Asamani continued to say that “this time, what we are doing is the data collection. After the data collection, we expect the analysis, the categorization and all that before submission. If they [NADMO Head Office] do not receive the report, they cannot prepare any relief,” he said.
The Regional NADMO director insisted that while he understands that there is the urgent need for support, the necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that the support provided is adequate.
Meanwhile, 2 people have, in the past few days, died as a result of the rainstorms that have occurred across the Upper East Region. The deaths were recorded in the Bawku West and Tempane Districts.
When the Upper East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Jerry Asamani spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, he disclosed that a 40-year-old man, name unknown, during a rainstorm sought to remove his sheep which was tied under a shea tree. In the process, a branch of the tree broke and crushed him to death. Mr. Asamani added that it was not until late that night when the wife of the man went out to look for him that they realized he was dead under the branch of the tree. This happened in the Tempane District.
The other person who died was a child aged 6 who was escaping from a church that was being destroyed by the rainstorm in the Bawku West District.
A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
