Twenty-seven, (27), persons have so far been confirmed dead by the NADMO directorate in the Upper East Region following a week long torrential rains in the region.
Two hundred and eighty-Six (286) houses have been totally collapsed while 1, 264 houses are also partially collapsed. Hundreds of residents are currently seeking shelter in classrooms.
Major roads have also been washed away.
The worse affected districts include, Kassena-Nankana West, Builsa North and South districts and the Kassena-Nankana Municipal.
The worse affected communities include Mirigu, Yikpieng, Siniensa, Jansa and Kaasa-Siniensa.
The rest of the communities include Yorogo, Nyariga, Zaare, Tindonmolgo, Yikene among others. Most of the roads in the Builsa North, Builsa South, Bongo and Kassena-Nankana West Districts are currently not motor-able.
When the news team together with NADMO officials got to Mirigu a community in the Kassena-Nankana west District, almost all the houses there have been either completely or partially collapsed.
Cracks were also visible on some of the houses. 86 year old Madam Atiah Aboyerigo, who is a resident of Mirigu told Radio Ghana her four rooms have collapsed and she and her family are currently seeking shelter at a nearby house.
She called on government and benevolent organizations to come to her aid.
The next point of call was at a house where a woman believed to be in her early 70s met her untimely death through a collapse of a building.
A son of the deceased, Adoko Nyaaba, said his mother has since been buried. Mr. Nyaaba explained that her mother was in the room with her grandchildren when the building collapsed on her but the children escaped unhurt.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Director of NADMO In-Charge of Operations, David Mba, after the tour of the worse affected areas observed that even though all persons cannot afford to build standard houses but the building codes should be enforced.
He underscored the need for stakeholders including NADMO and the Ghana Red Cross Society to intensify education on building codes.
This, he noted, will go a long way to expose what he described as an annual ritual. He called on government and benevolent organizations to support them with relief items for onward distribution to the victims.
Several farmlands including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, pepper, groundnuts have been completely destroyed by flood waters.
By Samuel Ayammah, gbcghanaonline
