The Minister for the Interior, Mr. Kwamena Bartels has assured that repair works on the collapsed Kulungugu bridge in the Upper East Region will be completed by the end of September for the use of motorists. Some other bridges and infrastructure destroyed by recent floods in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions should also be restored in three weeks, however the Garu bridge, which was completely destroyed, would need a replacement and may therefore take some time to complete. Torrential rains late last month caused the Black and White Volta rivers to burst their banks, flushing off farm lands and vegetation in the three regions, and in the process destroyed several infrastructure and claimed eight lives. The collapsed infrastructure ensured that various communities were cut off from regional and district capitals as well as markets. Government has since declared the three regions a disaster zone and is seeking humanitarian assistance and food supply from the United Nations to meet the immediate to medium term needs of the flood victims. An estimated 260 thousand people have been displaced and over 4,500 houses washed away. Mr. Bartels who is leading a team of UN and government officials and civil society groups to the north for a three-day reassessment of the people’s needs and plans for reconstruction, told Joy News that the exercise was key in ensuring stakeholders all agreed on the extent of damage in fashioning out what ought to be done to provide relief, infrastructure and to prevent farming. President Kufuor and Vice President Aliu Mahama have both paid visits to the area to assess the extent of damage. The UN Disaster Assessment team says it will prepare a disaster response plan and draw a vulnerability map for the country. The electronic map can be assessed by international agencies as well as locals to direct immediate relief and evacuation for future disasters. Listen to the attached audio for Mr. Kwamena Bartels' explanations