Four Feared dead...In Accra Floods (Monday, May 21, 2010, Front Page)
A RESCUE team from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is searching for three children and a nursing mother believed to have drowned in flood waters at Nmai Dzorn in the Adentan Municipality, following yesterday’s heavy downpour.
Two of the children were said to be escaping with their mother from their flooded room when they were swept away,while the last victim was said to be alone at home and got drowned when he attempted to escape.
An official of NADMO, Mr Azuma Besore, confirmed the casualties to the Daily Graphic and explained that NADMO’s response team had been called to contain the situation by helping all affected persons.
The floods were also said to have swept away some vehicles and property in Tema, Ashaiman and caused havoc in large parts of western Accra.
With the mass of water brought by the rain, a number of people in the affected areas were trapped in their homes and could be seen on roof tops, trees and walls as they called for help.
Some youth of Nmai Dzorn who attempted to rescue some of the trapped persons could not go far for fear of getting drowned or being electrocuted.
Several houses in the area were submerged and others had their roofs ripped off. Trees and utility poles were also uprooted or knocked down.
While a number of people were seen salvaging what was left of their belongings, a recovered polytank caused confusion between the purported owner who spotted it later and those who rescued it, with the latter claiming ownership because they claimed the owner was nowhere around when the tank was floating.
Eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that several cars were also carried away.
Ms Florence Bani, a victim of the flood, said she returned from church only to find her house submerged in water.
“I could not enter the house because the entire place was full of water.”
Another victim, Ama Dogbe, said she had to leave everything behind and escape with her children when the flood reached knee level.
Madam Horlali Azaglo, one of the people whose houses was submerged, appealed to the government to help construct drains in the area.
A source who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity said the flooded area used to be a lake but was filled and levelled before the houses were built there.
The source said even though officials from the Adentan Municipal Authority had marked some of the buildings for demolition since last year, nothing had been done about them, thereby exposing the community to floods whenever it rained.
“Anytime it rains, the entire place gets flooded but today’s appears to be the most serious I have ever seen. When you advise people here not to build on watercourses, they are adamant.”
The heavy rains also wreaked severe havoc on property running into millions of Ghana cedis in Swedru in the Central Region.
Kwamena Amponsah reports that the rains caused River Akora which runs through the town to overflow its banks, destroying buildings and property in the process.
The swiftflowing flood, which was described by an 80-year-old lady as unprecedented in the history of the town, started around mid-day rendering the bridge over the river impassable.
In the process many people, including the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Forson, were left stranded as they could not cross over from one side of the bridge to the other.
When the Daily Graphic visited the affected areas, bewildered residents were making frantic efforts to salvage their property from the flood.
The most affected area was Sabon Zongo, near the Swedru Stadium, which was virtually submerged in the flood. Other affected areas were Otabilkrom, Manhodwe and Kubease.
Two of the children were said to be escaping with their mother from their flooded room when they were swept away,while the last victim was said to be alone at home and got drowned when he attempted to escape.
An official of NADMO, Mr Azuma Besore, confirmed the casualties to the Daily Graphic and explained that NADMO’s response team had been called to contain the situation by helping all affected persons.
The floods were also said to have swept away some vehicles and property in Tema, Ashaiman and caused havoc in large parts of western Accra.
With the mass of water brought by the rain, a number of people in the affected areas were trapped in their homes and could be seen on roof tops, trees and walls as they called for help.
Some youth of Nmai Dzorn who attempted to rescue some of the trapped persons could not go far for fear of getting drowned or being electrocuted.
Several houses in the area were submerged and others had their roofs ripped off. Trees and utility poles were also uprooted or knocked down.
While a number of people were seen salvaging what was left of their belongings, a recovered polytank caused confusion between the purported owner who spotted it later and those who rescued it, with the latter claiming ownership because they claimed the owner was nowhere around when the tank was floating.
Eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that several cars were also carried away.
Ms Florence Bani, a victim of the flood, said she returned from church only to find her house submerged in water.
“I could not enter the house because the entire place was full of water.”
Another victim, Ama Dogbe, said she had to leave everything behind and escape with her children when the flood reached knee level.
Madam Horlali Azaglo, one of the people whose houses was submerged, appealed to the government to help construct drains in the area.
A source who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity said the flooded area used to be a lake but was filled and levelled before the houses were built there.
The source said even though officials from the Adentan Municipal Authority had marked some of the buildings for demolition since last year, nothing had been done about them, thereby exposing the community to floods whenever it rained.
“Anytime it rains, the entire place gets flooded but today’s appears to be the most serious I have ever seen. When you advise people here not to build on watercourses, they are adamant.”
The heavy rains also wreaked severe havoc on property running into millions of Ghana cedis in Swedru in the Central Region.
Kwamena Amponsah reports that the rains caused River Akora which runs through the town to overflow its banks, destroying buildings and property in the process.
The swiftflowing flood, which was described by an 80-year-old lady as unprecedented in the history of the town, started around mid-day rendering the bridge over the river impassable.
In the process many people, including the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Forson, were left stranded as they could not cross over from one side of the bridge to the other.
When the Daily Graphic visited the affected areas, bewildered residents were making frantic efforts to salvage their property from the flood.
The most affected area was Sabon Zongo, near the Swedru Stadium, which was virtually submerged in the flood. Other affected areas were Otabilkrom, Manhodwe and Kubease.
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