Accra Floods: Meteo says more rains expected in coming days
The fight against the perennial flooding in some parts of Accra is far from over. About three hours of rainfall between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. yesterday left some residents of flood-prone areas in Accra counting their losses, barely six days after the country had marked the first anniversary of the June 3, 2015 twin disaster that claimed some 159 lives.
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Some parts of the capital city, including the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Adabraka, Alajo, Kaneshie and Nima, were inundated with flood waters.
The Odaw River, which is being dredged, broke its banks, with excess water spilling into nearby homes and business ventures.
One dead in Tema
Parts of Adabraka and the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) Towers at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area appeared to be the worst hit, as structures along the two lanes leading to the Odawna Market in the area were almost submerged in water.
Ground Zero, the venue of the twin fire and flood disaster at the GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle was once again flooded.
The rain caused a gridlock at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Nima 441, the Legon-Shiashie Junction road and the Ringway road.
Some motorists drove cautiously to avoid accidents, while others had to park their vehicles to prevent them from being washed away.
The premises of the Produce Buying Company (PBC) at Dzorwulu was also badly hit by the floods.
So far no casualty has been recorded in Accra, but in Tema a two-and-a-half-year-old girl, Sharon Kyerera, was swept away by flood waters.
Power cut
The intensive nature of the floods compelled the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to shut down its bulk supply point at Dzorwulu in Accra because of the threat posed by the floods on the premises.
Consequently, some areas such as Adenta, Oyarifa, Legon, Abokobi, Madina and surrounding areas suffered power outages for hours.
Security presence
Personnel from the security services, including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service (GPS), the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Services (GNFRS), were seen at the flooded areas working tirelessly to rescue stranded residents and members of the public.
They used boats to rescue most of the victims.
The National Director in charge of Operations at NADMO, Mr Winfred Tesia, told the Daily Graphic the organisation received distress calls from most flood-prone areas shortly after the rains started and quickly deployed personnel to different locations on rescue missions.
“When it started raining in the morning, we activated our plans and asked our men to stand by. When the distress calls started coming in, we deployed five teams to different flood-prone areas such as Alajo, Teshie-Nungua and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle,” he said.
In all the areas visited, traffic jams had been created, as some of the roads were blocked as a result of the flood.
Frustration, anxiety and desperation were written on the faces of most of the people as they either took stock of their losses or tried to find a way to get to their destinations.
GMet warns
Meanwhile, the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) says yesterday’s rainfall recorded 143 millimetres, the highest since the beginning of the year.
The Principal Meteorologist at the GMA, Mr Joe Tetteh Portuphy, told the Daily Graphic that the rain was heavy because Ghana was in the peak of the rainy season.
He predicted rains in the evening, adding that “more of such rains are expected in the next few weeks”.
“The gutters are choked already and there is so much water on the ground following the rains, so the slightest rain brings about floods over, especially in Accra. We should be cautious when going out during the rainy season,” he cautioned.
Mr Portuphy further advised that people staying at waterlogged areas and low ground should move to higher ground to ensure safety.
A statement from the Ministry of Communications also warned the public to avoid fast flowing water, move from lower ground to higher places if need be and call emergency lines.