Ghana – 2 Dead After Floods in Eastern Region
Local media are reporting that 2 people have died in floods in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The floods were caused by a short period of heavy rain on Sunday 25 September. Flooding affected the regional capital, Koforidua, and some surrounding areas.
Quoting officials from the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Web reports that 150 houses have been damaged, affecting around 2,500 people. Although none of the houses have been completely destroyed, the floods have caused severe damage and people have lost essential items and belongings. NADMO said that at least 600 of the victims are considered to be extremely vulnerable.
Ghana News Agency reported that the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kwabena Okyere-Kusi, expressed the need for citizens to participate in the national sanitation exercise to ensure that drains are desilted to prevent the perennial floods.
Local media reported that the city was hit by flooding just two weeks earlier, forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes.
Ghana Floods and Prevention Efforts
Five people died in June this year after deadly floods hit the country’s Central Region.
Heavy rain in June 2015 caused deadly flooding in the capital Accra. Dozens of people took refuge from the flooding in a fuel station, where a fire started, causing the station to explode, leaving around 100 people dead.
A few days later, Ghana President, John Mahama, set out flood prevention and disaster risk reduction plans in Accra, in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the disaster.
He said that the government has allocated GH¢50 million ($12 million) to cover relief and humanitarian operations, repair of damaged public infrastructure, and desilting and clearing of waterways.