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