Donations for families of flood victims

13-07-09
THE government has presented cash and food items to the families of the seven persons who lost their lives in the June 19, 2009 flood disaster which occurred in Accra.
Each of the seven families received GH¢500, 10 mini bags of rice and five cartons of cooking oil from the Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka, in Accra yesterday.
The deceased, who are yet to be buried, include Pastor Isaac Oppong-Kusi, 36; Lian Fenyi, 4; Mary Essiam, 67; Sharatu Ibrahim, 21; Brenya Yarley, 30; Victor Amukwei Tetteh, 80, and Paul Agbemuyebor, a 28-year-old Togolese national.
Presenting the items, Mr Avoka said the donation was not a compensation but rather “a token” from the Government and people of Ghana to help in the burial and funeral of the deceased.
He said 90 per cent of floods which occurred in the country were due to human activities, adding that “this ceremony would not have come on if some people had not built on [watercourses], dumped rubbish into drains and erected kiosks everywhere”.
He took the opportunity to advise Ghanaians to change their attitude to save the country from such disasters.
A daughter of one of the deceased, Madam Sylvia Akushie Tetteh, who spoke on behalf of the other family members, expressed gratitude to the government for the kind gesture.