Tamale, May 9, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, the Northern Regional Minister, on Monday received cheques for 35 million cedis from four institutions as contributions towards resettling the Tamale rainstorm victims.

The institutions are the Prudential Bank and PHC Motors 10 million cedis each and RANA Plaza five million cedis. GLICO paid 10 million cedis and some relief items worth about 15 million cedis. The GETFund board has also donated three billion cedis to be used to rehabilitate all schools that were devastated by the rainstorm. The assistance came following an appeal by Peace FM, an Accra private radio station and the donations were paid through Filla FM, a Tamale radio station.

Mr. Kwabena Ntow, an administrative officer of Filla FM, presented the cheques to Alhaji Idris on behalf of Peace FM. The rainstorm that struck on April 21 destroyed a total of 750 private homes, 59 government bungalows, 36 schools, 180 street light electricity poles and displaced 6,900 people. The total cost of destruction now stands at about 39.8 billion cedis.

Alhaji Idris said victims of the rainstorm disaster needed more support to enable them to resettle and appealed to organisations and individuals to help.

He appealed to the Ministry of the Interior and the office of the Inspector General of Police to renovate the Tamale Regional Police barracks where the storm ripped off the roofs of some buildings. He reiterated the call on members of the committee to oversee the distribution of relief items to live above party and ethnic lines and make the distribution fairly to win public confidence.