A 12-year-old girl has lost her life, several people have been injured, and more than 40 houses have been destroyed after a violent rainstorm swept through parts of the Yendi Municipality in the Northern Region.
The storm, which struck during the early hours of Wednesday, July 22, displaced dozens of families, forcing many residents to seek temporary shelter with relatives and friends after their homes were destroyed.
The disaster also damaged household property, farm produce, and other valuables, leaving affected residents appealing for urgent assistance from the government, humanitarian organisations, and benevolent individuals.
A visit to Meindogu, one of the worst-hit communities in the municipality, revealed widespread destruction, with collapsed buildings, damaged roofs, and devastated families struggling to come to terms with their losses.
The deceased, identified only as Asana, was killed when the walls of her family’s room collapsed during the storm.
Her mother, Awabu Abukari, recounted the heartbreaking incident, explaining that the family was asleep when strong winds ripped off the roof of their house before the structure gave way.
“The rain started in the night while we were sleeping. Suddenly, the strong wind removed the roof, and moments later the room collapsed. The wall fell on my little girl, Asana, and she died. We have lost our child. We have not even eaten today because we are mourning. Now we don’t have a place to stay. We are appealing for support,” she said.
Another resident, Abukari Abu, sustained neck injuries while attempting to rescue his children from the collapsing building.
“When the rain began, the storm ripped off the roof of our house. I was trying to save my children when the rooms suddenly collapsed on us. We have nowhere to live now, and we are appealing for urgent assistance,” he said.
The Assembly Member for the area described the destruction as devastating and called for immediate intervention to support affected families.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), who visited the community to assess the damage, said the scale of destruction was significant. They urged relatives and members of the public to provide temporary accommodation for displaced residents while assessments continue and relief efforts are coordinated.
The rainstorm destroyed homes, household belongings, and farm produce, leaving many families without shelter and facing the difficult task of rebuilding their lives.