By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Cape Coast, May 23, GNA – A more than three‑hour torrential downpour on Friday evening turned streets around Christ the King Academy in Cape Coast into rivers, flooding more than 50 homes and two churches.
There were no fatalities, but chilling accounts were given of how elderly and immobile residents were carried on backs through waist level through debris-streaked floods, to safety.
Mr Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood, the Central Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), said seriously affected victims were putting up with friends and relatives and some in NADMO Safe Havens.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the flooding occurred around 21:00 hours.
He highly commended the Regional NADMO Rapid Response Team for their prompt intervention to save lives.
Mr Dawood issued safety advice to residents living in low‑lying and flood‑prone areas to move valuables and important documents to higher grounds.
They should avoid walking or driving through floodwaters, keep children and the elderly away from flooded areas and use bottled water or boiled water for drinking until clear water supplies were restored.
He warned residents to switch off electricity at the main switch when floodwater entered homes and to report trapped or injured people to the NADMO or local authorities without delay.
He said NADMO’s assessments were ongoing to determine the full extent of damage and the needs of affected households.
Mr Dawood assured the residents of NADMO’s support, saying the organisation would provide immediate relief and coordinate further assistance for those displaced by the flooding.
He called on corporate bodies, institutions and philanthropists to support the victims with relief items, shelter materials and medical assistance, adding that collaborative efforts would help speed recovery for affected families.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Isaac Arkoh