Fatima
Anafu-Astanga, GNA
Sokabiisi, Dec. 11,
GNA – The Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) has presented relief services for victims of recent floods
in the Upper East Region for six hundred families in 32 communities.
The items are funded
by the International federation of the Red Cross at the cost equivalent of
$150,000.
Mr Kofi Addo,
Secretary General of the Ghana Red Cross Society who is
in the region with his team was accompanied by the Vice President Dr Kingsley
Preko , Vice President of GRCS, Dr Eric
Asamoah ,Deputy Secretary General, the local Disaster Relief Emergency Fund
(DREF) delegates led by, Mr Solomon Gayoni, and staff of the GRC.
Each affected
household received one Kitchen set, two
blankets, one plastic bucket, one hygiene kit, two sleeping mats, and plastic containers and aqua taps for
treatment of water.
Speaking to
beneficiary community members at
Sokabiisi in the Bolgatanaga
Municipality before the distribution, the Secretary General apologised for the
late delivery explaining that the GRCS
responded to disasters within 72
hours , however delay in some
standard protocol procedures and access
to resources delayed them.
“The delay is never
the style of Ghana Red cross Society, however the protocols needed to be
followed in securing support and any such devastation called on my outfit as a
duty to respond within 72 hours to provide needed relief to victims”. The
Secretary General reiterated.
He said the support
for the victims were in three phases,
where the first phase included; the Kitchen set, two blankets, one
plastic bucket, one hygiene kit, two sleeping mats, and containers and aqua
taps.
He said the Phase
two delivery would move house to house to provide software and education to promote the
management of sanitation with support .
In the third phase
the Secretary General said his outfit had identified 100 houses that were destroyed as a result of
the floods and their homes would be built by Ghana Red cross with support already secured from SWISS Red
Cross soon.
He said Red Cross
made other appeals to partners for
cholera operation support to enhance studies by volunteers especially in Accra, where cholera occurred
during the floods.
He said they would
carry out studies to find out the
underpinning causes of the epidemic that
resulted from the floods and according
to him, this would help in addressing
such situations in the future.
“The identification
and assessment of victims in disaster situations by Ghana Red Cross is purely
done on humanitarian basis devoid of
any partiality, and we remained and work with principle of
neutrality and ensured that any person
in a disaster situation was vulnerable.
He appealed to
corporate Ghana and benevolent organisations to support the Ghana Red
Cross Society to continue to give help
when disasters strike.
Mr Joseph Atuura
Amiyuure, Bolgatanga Municipal Chief
Executive (MCE) of the Bolgatanga Municipality in a speech reiterated
government’s care and support in times
of stress such as disasters.
The MCE said the
disaster this year in some communities was disturbing for which the President
commiserated with victims especially the vulnerable in the Kassena Nankana
areas.
He said resources
were not limitless and reiterated government’s appreciation to Red Cross and
all other organisations that contributed in diverse towards the victims.
Madam Aneriba
Ayenoo, 68- year-old ,whose room collapsed on her and her family resulting in some casualties expressed her
gratitude to the Ghana Red Cross for the assistance.
GNA