An 11-member Inter-Ministerial Disaster Management Taskforce has been inaugurated by the president. It has the responsibility to plan the long-term rehabilitation of damaged infra-structure and property in floods devastated areas in the three northern regions. It is also tasked to oversee the distribution of relief items being sent to the areas and to undertake such other programmes as will bring comfort and assurance to the affected communities. It is chaired by Mrs Mary Chinnery Hesse, Chief Ad¬viser to the President, with Interior Minister, Kwamena Bartels; Defence Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah; National Security Minister, Francis Poku and Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Minister of Information and National Orientation, as members. The rest are Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique; Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Adjei Darko; Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Kwadwo Baah Wiredu; Transportation Minister, Godfrey Bayon; Health Minister, Major Courage Quarshigah (rtd); and Food and Agriculture Minister, Ernest Debrah. President Kufuor said the nation is aware of the disaster that has befallen the three northern regions which has resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of properties. He said although government has taken immediate steps to distribute funds and other items to the affected victims, there has also been an outpouring of goodwill as well as financial and material support from a number of organisations, groups and individuals and expressed gratitude to them. The president noted that various initiatives by the government and donations have together brought a measure of relief to the disaster zones, but stated that "this is not enough." He therefore appealed to individuals of goodwill, organisations and the country's development partners to support govern¬ment to undertake reconstruction works in the areas affected. In a related development, a delegation of chiefs from the Cherepoui traditional area called on President Kufuor at the castle to brief him on the extent of damage caused by the floods in the area. The leader, Regent of Cherepoui, Munkaila Abubakar Naaba, also appealed to the President to create a separate district of Cherepoui to enhance the development of the area. lie further appealed to the government to upgrade the Cherepoui Health Centre into a hospital, provide telephone facilities, as well as potable water. President Kufuor assured them of government's willingness to meet their demands and asked them to be patient. The three northern regions were flooded late last month after the Black and White Volta rivers burst their banks destroying property and large farm tracts in those areas. The three regions were as. a result, declared disaster zones by the president last week when he visited the areas to assess the extent of devastation caused to lives and property there. At least 20 people are reportedly killed so far with 4,544 houses damaged rendering more than 400,000 people homeless. The vice-president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, earlier visited the three regions with a high powered technical team of experts to ascertain the extent of damage and sympathised with the affected people. Source: Ghanaian Times