Heavy downpour in Tamale, kills two

Heavy rains on Thursday caused havoc in many parts of the Northern Region killing two people and destroying property in many communities leaving many homes flooded.

The dead, a motor bike rider and a school pupil, got drowned before a combined rescue team could reach them. The downpour lasted for about five hours. Residents in Gumani, the area where the two died have appealed to the Government for urgent support because most of them have been displaced.

The rescue team comprised personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Police and the Military.

Areas affected include Kamvilli, Bulpela, Gumani, Northern School of Business (NOBISCO) area, Vittin and the Tamale School of Business (BISCO) area. Yendi and its surrounding areas have also been heavily affected.

Hajia Habiba Alhassan, Metropolitan Coordinator of the National Disaster Management (NADMO), described the rains as the worse ever in the Tamale Metropolis.

She said NADMO would further assess the flood situation to know the extent of damage but added that it needed an urgent attention to help the displaced persons.

Hajia Alhassan said information reaching NADMO office in Tamale indicated that Yendi and its surrounding communities were also badly hit by the floods and that the situation would be assessed soon.

Homes, hotels and restaurants are also flooded. Economic activities have been affected in areas such as Choggu, Yepalsi, Kalarga near Vittin, Gumani, and Jisonayili.**