The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has denied claims that it presented only seven student mattresses to victims of last Sunday’s tidal waves attack in the Volta Region.
Deputy Director-General of NADMO, Seji Saji Amedonu said it is not true that officials would “carry seven mattresses all the way from Accra to the affected victims.”
The NADMO office has been criticized for not providing enough relief items to persons affected by the tidal waves disaster.
A member of the Keta Municipal Assembly had claimed on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday that just seven mattresses were provided to the victims who had been rendered homeless.
But speaking to Emefa Apawu on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday, Mr. Amedonu explained that NADMO’s organizational setup is such that, even in the midst of a disaster, a response is being prepared.
“NADMO staff are deployed across Ghana, we have NADMO represented in every district and we have them in zones. So as the incident is unfolding, there is already what we would do,” he said.
Detailing how they responded to last week’s disaster, Seji Saji Amedonu said the plan was first to provide some form of relief to victims who had been moved to safe-havens.
He insisted that by Tuesday, the districts affected by the disaster had received some forms of relief.
“In the particular example of Kedzikope, it was the community center that was the safe haven. This is where we did the presentation of all the items we brought. We had a bigger truck behind us and we had a few items on the pickup. On that pickup were seven mattresses which were for a symbolic presentation but the bigger truck was full of items. At the end of the day, almost all the three districts had something that Tuesday. It could not be seven items,” Seji Saji Amedonu narrated.
Mr. Amedonu also disclosed that more relief items were presented to victims on Saturday.
“Yesterday [Saturday], we sent a full truckload of items and we had news that corporate Ghana was coming to do something this morning. So when they came, together, they did the presentation to the Regional Minister and had their way of distribution. NADMO provided them with the data and where the people are for those distributions to be done. I personally went to some of the communities to do some distributions,” he indicated.
On Sunday, November 7, thousands of people in the Anlo District, Ketu South, and Keta Municipalities were rendered homeless after tidal waves swept through their homes.
Communities such as Abutiakope, Kedzikope, and Keta Central were largely affected and residents had nothing to salvage.
The frequency of tidal wave attacks along coastal towns in the country has intensified; a phenomenon some have blamed on climate change.
The Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has disclosed that the Finance Ministry will allocate funds for the construction of the second phase of the Keta sea defense wall.
According to Mr. Asenso-Boakye, the completion of works under the second phase of the project is expected to cover a minimum coastal stretch of 8km.
Meanwhile, the Keta Municipal Assembly has placed a ban on sand winning activities at its beaches with immediate effect and until further notice.
The Assembly says that the action was necessitated by the recent tidal waves disaster that had displaced many.
The Assembly believes that the ban will contribute to the fight against sea erosion.
