Tamale, April 26, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, on Thursday paid a day's working visit to disaster hit communities in the Tamale Metropolis, where he pledged the commitment of government to bring timely relief to the victims.

"Government would come in strongly to support the victims to alleviate their plight," he said.

The disaster, which was caused by a severe rainstorm on Saturday April 21, 2007, affected 500 private homes, 46 government bungalows, 25 school buildings and displaced more than 3,500 people. Electricity supply to the Tamale Teaching Hospital was also affected by the storm.

Vice President Mahama who led a three-member government delegation, said the timely intervention of President John Agyekum Kufuor to the disaster had enlisted the confidence of the people that help was on the way.

He appealed to public-spirited organisations and individuals to support the victims to resettle.

Vice President Mahama said the pressing concern of government was to rehabilitate schools affected by the storm before the next academic year begun.

Some of the areas visited by the Vice President was Ward "K", Ahmaddiya, Kaladan and Dakpema primary schools where the roofs have been ripped off.

Vice President Mahama also used the opportunity to hand over some of the relief items that the Government gave last Tuesday as an interim assistance to some communities that he visited. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister, said an appeal for fund for the victims was receiving public response, mentioning a 50 million cedis donation from the Zenith Bank. Mr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the Assembly had committed 100 million cedis as seed fund for the victims.

He said the Assembly's estimates of the level of damage was hovering around 33 billion cedis and that UNICEF had pledged its commitment to renovate all the schools affected by the storm. Mr. Danladi Abukari, Tamale Area Manager of the Northern Electricity Division of the Volta River Authority, said four out of the seven high-tension electricity poles serving Tamale were destroyed by the storm while 63 low voltage poles were also affected by the storm. He said 80 per cent of the low voltage poles have been fixed while all the high-tension poles have been restored.

He expressed the need for Tamale Teaching Hospital to have a standby generator to ensure medical care during future disasters. A severe rainstorm, second in two months on Saturday night hit the Tamale Metropolis and its environs causing extensive damage to property worth billions of cedis and displacing some 3,500 people. About 70 per cent of schools in the Metropolis had been affected by the storm while more than 60 per cent of street electric poles had also fallen and some big trees along some of the streets were uprooted and blocked the roads.

The street electric pools from the Tamale Regional Hospital to the main Taxi rank had fallen. 26 April 07