An SOS Call For Relief Items And Medical Attention For Gingani-Villi April 18 Fire And Rainstorm Disasters Victims In The Kumbungu District Of Northern Region Of Ghana

This week marks the third week of homeless and helpless condition of more than 100 rainstorm disaster victims including poor widows, disable persons, women and children comprising 58 children and 27 adults (including male and female2 disable persons and 3 widows ) who was displaced by a 3-hours rainstorm and fire Disasters which started after 6:30pm on 18^th April,2019 in Gingaani-Villi community of close to 100 houses and over1,000 inhabitants in the newly created Gingaani Electoral Area in the Kumbungu District of Northern Region, Ghana.

Besides the completely burning down of 10 rooms and displacement of a blind young lady and other 8 family members of Yakubu Tidoo, the April 18 Gingani-Villi fire disaster also burns beyond recovery GH₵250.00 physical cash, 3 mobile phones, 9.5 bags of maize, 3.5 bags of cowpea,100 fowls, 45 guinea fowls, clothing, mattress foam, 3 bicycles, mats, basins, buckets cooking utensils and other personal effects belonging to Yakubu Tidoo and his household without shelter.

The poor farmer(Yakubu Tidoo) is currently traumatized to the extent that the required medical attention for some of the critically injured community disaster volunteers including Iddrisu Abukari, the son of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman(Villi-Siliboma-Naa-Yili), Abdul-Rahaman Dokurugu, Convention Peoples Party(CPP) Vice-Chairman aspirant(Villi-Yipieli-Naa-Yili), Baba Dokurugu(Villi-Zoo-Naa-Yili), Alhassan Dokurugu(Villi-Zoo-Naa-Yili) among others.

Narrations from the 4 critically injured community firefighters indicated that the NPP chairman son whose back and hand were burnt during his attempt to evacuate a bag of maize from the flame, whiles the CPP Vice-Chairman aspirant heard bleeding resulted from sharp wood which was used to network and fastens the grass roofing failing on his heard.

Meanwhiles the Alhasan Dokurugu, the sons of Gingani-Villi Zoo-Naa is currently battling with his swollen left leg as a result two separate deep wounds suffered whiles he was standing on top of Yakubu Tidoo mother’s room taking buckets of water to quench the fire and was heat by another wood used to affixed the grass roofing whiles his senior brother Baba Dokurugu who was also on top of Yakubu Tidoo Wife(Sikaina) room taking buckets of water to fight the inferno ended up with severe injuries.

Due to lack of Community based Health Planning Services (CHPS)Compound in the entire Gingaani Electoral Area, some of the victims have to travelled far to Gbulung township and buy painkillers and are currently using local herbs to cure the burns and swollen bodies as well as their wounds because of lack of money for urgent and standard medical attention.

According to M-Ba Yakubu Tidoo (Landlord) of a completely burnt 10 rooms house, the rainstorm disaster conversion into the domestic fire disaster occurred when the women in his house was preparing a supper using the local fire wood and was overwhelmed by the severe rainstorm which blew the naked fire into the grass roof of the rooms, hence the inferno.

The April 18 rainstorm havoc on the other hand has left more than four (14) households within Ginagaani-Villi community in a state of June 3 Kwame Nkrumah Circle Fire and flood disasters in Accra because the country weather prediction institution (GMet) forecast of periodic heavy rains with fire and lighting has left the recent fire and rainstorms disaster victims homeless and hopeless situation.

However, the over 10 houses which buildings were ripe off and are not severely affected are currently reroofing their houses with grasses as a traditional coping capacity but victims with aluminium roofing are unable to immediately reroof their shelter due to lack of individual households disaster preparedness and couple with the absent of relief support from state and non-state persons.

In totality, April 18,2019 rainstorm havoc and fire disasters in Gingaani-Villi estimated cost stood at twenty-three thousand five hundred Ghana cedis(GH₵23,500.00) after several livestock, properties and personal effects was damaged including 40 bedrooms, 6 kitchens, 3 household stores, 3 living rooms(known in Dagbani as Zong) 3 bicycles among others and have since deprived 58 rural children and 31 women and men their basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing without any relief and medical attention.

The last time Gingaani-Villi community experienced a severe domestic fire disaster was in the 1990s under the then Tolon/Kumbungu District Assembly where several kilograms of cotton and other personal effects was completely burnt in a single bedroom without recovery and the Late Dr. Abdulai (Dr. Choggu ) of Sheikina clinic in Tamale and other faith-based organizations relief items were sufficient for those disaster victims whiles the then Ghana Cotton Company Ltd footed the commercial cost of the burnt cotton produced belonging to one of its farmers by name Iddrisu Alhassan(decease).

Despite the fact that the Kumbungu District Assembly is an infant planning authority with little Internally Generated Funds, its disaster prevention and management department (NADMO) after visiting the disaster scene at Gingaani-Villi community, is yet to receive the urgent humanitarian support for its severe fire and rainstorm disasters victims.

Gingaani Electoral Area is one of the two electoral areas recently been carved out from the then Gupanarigu Electoral Area in Kumbugu District Assembly of Northern region by the Electoral Commission of Ghana constitutional instrument.

The 2014-2017 medium-term development plan of the Kumbungu District assembly has confirmed that prior to the current Gingaani Electoral Area and Gbanzogu Electoral Area Gingaani-Villi was one of largest communities among the 16 communities in the former Gupanarigu Area Council.

As the National Disaster Management Organisation(NADMO) and the Kumbungu District Chief Executive and his Management are mobilizing for humanitarian support to both the displaced and injured persons, I am calling on political parties, state and non-state organizations including the Non-profit making organisations(NGOs),banking and non-banking, institutions to emulate Gupanrigu Electoral Area Assembly member ( Honourable James ) who double as the National Democratic Congress(NDC) constituency secretary donation of used clothing to Yakubu Tidoo’s household and that of the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Constituency (Honourable Ras Mubarak) for the supplied and distribution of 1 packet of aluminum roofing sheets, 5 bags of maize, 10 plastic basins, 10 plastic buckets, 1 box of bathing soap 20 plastic cups, 20, 20 plastic plates to the household of Yakubu-Yili, Afa Awalu-Yili,Duli-Lan-Yili and Yipiel-Naa-Yili respectively.

SIGNED
IDDRISU NEINDOW BABA
(A NATIVE OF GINGAANI-VILLI IN THE GINGAANI ELECTORAL AREA OF KUMBUNGU DISTRICT ASSEMBLY, NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA)

HOUSE NUMBER GVV4
CONTACT: 0207450347/0249728040