Adina (V/R), Nov. 8, GNA – About 219 people in 35 households at Adina in the Ketu South Municipality have been affected by Sunday dawn tidal waves attacks.
Also, provisional data showed about 304 people from 34 households at Amutinu and Salakope communities and yet-to-be determined number of people from 72 households at Agavedzi, got affected from the attacks on Saturday morning and Sunday dawn.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the communities revealed that the ferocious tidal waves eroded the ridges and levelled the remaining sand dunes which enabled the sea to freely flow into the Adina community (experiencing the attacks for the first time in recent years) submerging a number of houses.
While a number of houses were still submerged by the sea water during GNA’s visit around 1000 hours, others showed evidence of collecting water some minutes ago with community members using generator machines to pump the collected waters and digging trenches through the Denu-Keta Road (also flooded earlier) to divert the waters into the lagoon and gutters.
While that happened, officers from the Ghana Police and Ghana National Fire Services were at the scene to provide security and help respectively along with personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) working with the Assembly members to assess the situation.
Some affected Adina residents who spoke to the GNA said, the sea took them unawares and destroyed their belongings and food items, thus, called on the government for help to avert the sea from washing away their homes, as had been happening in Amutinu-Salakope and Agavedzi Electoral Areas.
“The sea water rushed into our home, entered every room when we were still sleeping. We just finished cleaning our rooms. Everything from clothing to bed got soaked. Soup for our meal is gone and so is the corn flour. We managed to salvage the cassava dough and that’s what we put on top of the wall to dry,” one affected person, Madam Gbeda Dushie lamented.
“We’re a household of 11 people and the sea destroyed many of our things including my materials for sewing. I’ll plead with government to continue with the sea defence project to protect us from the sea. That’s the only way to secure us,” another, Mr Stephen Semakor, a tailor whose home was still flooded around 1040 hours said.
Ketu South Municipal NADMO Coordinator, Mr Paul Alorssodey, said his outfit was working with the Assembly to temporarily relocate the affected persons to a safer ground noting, “so far, we’ve had cases of houses being submerged but no destruction, none suffering harm with some persons having to sleep at homes of family members who were not affected.”
Mr Maxwell Koffie Lugudor, Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South, speaking to the GNA, said he was working with other stakeholders to ensure a temporal and safe place was secured for the affected people.
“There’s a place around (an island) but the road leading to that place is muddy. I wish we can clear the whole place and get NADMO tents for them to sleep in even today. I won’t encourage anyone to sleep in the affected homes because anything can happen.
It’s unfortunate it happened during the weekend, but I’ve already spoken to the Regional Minister. I’ll do everything humanly possible for them to move to the temporal place then other relief items from NADMO can follow.”
GNA