Gh¢7m for flood victims(front page) September 15, 2008

Story:Michael Donkor
President J.A. Kufuor has directed the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢7m towards the mitigation of the impact of the floods on the people of the three northern regions and Keta in the Volta Region.
The President has also appointed the Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, to assume responsibility for the management of the flood situation in these areas, liaising with the regional ministers, the Volta River Authority (VRA) and relevant Municipal and District Assemblies and development partners.
This was contained in a letter signed on behalf of the President by his Chief Advisor, Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse and issued to the Ministry of Finance, all the regional ministers whose area of jurisdiction were affected by the flood and the relevant authorities.
The letter said a similar flood situation which occurred in 2007 was handled by an Inter-Ministerial Task Force established by the President under the chairmanship of Mrs Chinery-Hesse to co-ordinate the relief efforts on an emergency basis.
It said the task force resolved, as part of its remit, that permanent structures should be put in place as early as possible to obviate the need for ad hoc arrangements, in the event of future floods, especially because of the high probability of recurrence.
The letter said in promoting this with the assistance of development partners, principally the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the capacity of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had been strengthened.
It said lines of communication had also been established for prompt relay and sharing of information, with the institution of a nascent early warning system to minimise the impact of any floods in the northern regions.
Meanwhile, Dr Addo-Kufuor has despatched a three-man delegation to the three northern regions to meet with the regional ministers, Metropolitan/Municipal/District Chief Executives and NADMO officials in the affected districts to report on items required, and to determine the stock levels of relief supplies in the various warehouses of NADMO.
The acting National Co-ordinator of NADMO and some staff members of the Ministry of the Interior have also been tasked to seek clearance from the National Procurement Authority to organise urgent limited tender for the purchase of the items required.
The Ministry of the Interior has also negotiated with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for the release of three articulated trucks to transport the items to the affected areas.