At least 93 houses have collapsed and 246 residents have been left without shelter after torrential rains triggered severe flooding across communities in the North East Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
The floods have also destroyed food stocks, farm produce and livestock, while washing away part of a major feeder road and cutting off communities including Lantung Park, Kedingi and Kanankula from surrounding areas.
The scale of the destruction has left affected families facing a double crisis: finding shelter while trying to salvage what remains of their food and livelihoods.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) said the flooding followed continuous rainfall that began on Wednesday.
The Savannah Regional Director of NADMO, Mahama Zakaria, who led an assessment of the affected communities, said officials had documented the extent of the damage and submitted situation reports to the organisation’s head office.
He said relief items could reach the affected residents within 48 hours.
“Our immediate priority is to assess the extent of the damage and provide support to residents who have been displaced,” Mr Zakaria said.
Food, livestock destroyed
For some residents, the disaster has gone beyond the loss of homes, with food reserves and livestock also swept away by the floodwaters.
One affected resident, Luckman Musah, said he lost bags of soybeans, maize and rice, in addition to livestock.
“I have lost bags of soybeans, maize and rice, as well as my livestock, to the floods,” he said.
He appealed to the government and other organisations to urgently assist affected families.
“We are appealing to the government and other stakeholders to come to our aid because we have lost our homes, food and sources of livelihood,” he added.
Washed away road cuts communities off
The flooding has also disrupted movement after a section of the feeder road linking the affected communities to the local market was washed away.
The road is a critical link for residents transporting farm produce and other goods to the market, raising fears that prolonged disruption could deepen the economic losses suffered by the communities.
Eric, a local business operator, said traders were already feeling the impact.
“The damaged road has affected our businesses because customers and traders can no longer move freely between the communities and the market,” he said.
The damaged road could also hamper the movement of food and essential supplies into the affected communities and make access to healthcare more difficult for residents.
With 93 homes already collapsed, affected families are now relying on emergency assistance as NADMO and other authorities assess the full extent of the disaster.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
