A powerful rainstorm has claimed the life of a 12-year-old girl and destroyed more than 40 homes in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region, leaving dozens of families homeless and several others injured.
The storm struck the communities of Meindogu and Kalbila at about 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, bringing strong winds that ripped off roofs, collapsed buildings and destroyed household belongings, food stocks and farm produce.
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The deceased, identified as Asana, was trapped when the room she was sleeping in collapsed during the storm.
She was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Two other residents sustained injuries, with one person still receiving medical treatment.
At daybreak, affected residents were seen searching through the debris of their collapsed homes in an attempt to recover mattresses, cooking utensils and other personal belongings.
The Acting Yendi Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhassan Abu Safian, described the destruction as extensive.
“We have not completed our assessment, but so far more than 30 houses have been affected. Some have completely collapsed with not even a single room left standing. Those families are now homeless,” he said.
He added that at least seven houses had been completely destroyed, while the number of affected homes was expected to increase as assessment teams continued their work.
For Asana’s mother, Awabu Abukari, the devastation has been compounded by the loss of her daughter.
“The rains started in the night. I was inside with the children. Suddenly, the roof caved in and the room collapsed. The wall fell on my little girl, Asana, and she died. We’ve not eaten the whole day because we are grieving. We have no place to stay. We are appealing for support,” she said.
Despite the scale of the disaster, NADMO said it currently has no relief items available for immediate distribution to affected families.
“At the moment, we don’t have anything in the office to give the victims. We have informed our regional and national offices and are hopeful assistance will come as soon as possible,” Mr Abu Safian stated.
In the meantime, the agency has appealed to families whose homes were not affected to provide temporary accommodation for displaced neighbours, particularly children, the elderly and other vulnerable persons.
The municipality is also monitoring reports of flooding in another community following subsequent heavy rains, raising concerns that the impact of the severe weather could extend to additional areas.
For many of the affected families, the immediate priority remains finding safe shelter as they await relief assistance and begin the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.
