A mahogany tree in Chiana, a community in the Kassena Nankana West of the Upper East Region, has fallen, damaging high-tension cables, electrical wires, shops, and roofing sheets of homes.
The disaster happened at dawn along the Tumu road. The tree fell in three splits.
The cause of the incident is believed to be the result of the old nature of the tree. It is said to have been planted in the 20s.
Residents are currently living in fear, as there are more of such trees dotted along the road.
They are calling for support from the government and benevolent bodies to help them recover their lost property and bounce back on their feet.
Some of them spoke to GhanaWeb’s Sarah Bandal Dubure regarding their plight.
Madam Mary Amontum stated that the tree fell around midnight, adding that they are bewailing the loss of their property.
“We are in a state of mourning. No life was lost, but we lost a lot of properties,” she said.
She called on the government to come to their aid, as their assemblymen are handicapped and cannot do much to help.
“We are pleading with the government… to come to Chiana and assist the assemblymen to save us,” she cried.
Madam Mary also raised the concern that they don’t sleep at night, as there are more trees of that nature around them.
She indicated that they have been having sleepless nights for fear of being struck again.
Another resident, Mr Ignatius Apaseya, recalled that they heard a loud sound at dawn and, upon coming out, they saw the big tree in splits.
He indicated that a portion fell on the road, another across the road, and the rest landed on his property.
He called on the government and non-governmental organisations to come to their aid so that they can move on with life.
“We are appealing to the government and non-governmental agencies to come to our aid to help us in order to see how we can reorganise ourselves,” he pleaded.
Reacting to the disaster, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kafania, Saboro and Adognia, Kuze Boniface, said he was about to sleep when he heard a thundering noise.
“I was about to sleep, then I heard the noise, and it sounded like something huge that fell from the sky,” he observed.
He said that by way of intervention, they placed some indicators on the road to prevent unsuspecting cars from getting into accidents.
He called on NGOs and the District Assembly to plant trees to replace the existing ones, which, according to him, are weak and rotten.
The MP pointed out that it is not the first time a tree has fallen there, adding that some fell earlier and almost killed people.
He also pointed out that anytime strangers are visiting their community, they get alarmed, as they do not know when the trees may lose guard.
He emphasised that they should not stay aloof for the worst to happen before they take measures.
“Let’s not wait for danger before we act. If we don’t take care, it will kill people,” he warned.
“We are pleading with whoever can help to replace them. They should help with roofing sheets and cement,” he ended.
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