4 Confirmed Dead, 10 Missing In Eastern Region Floods
Four persons have been confirmed dead, with 10 others missing, as a result of torrential rainfall which flooded many areas in five municipalities and districts in the Eastern Region weeks ago.
The Eastern Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Kwame Appiah Kodua, yesterday said, the four deaths were recorded in the New Juaben South, New Juaben North municipalities and the Akyemansa and Denkyembour districts, while those missing were from the Nsawam Adoagyiri municipality.
Mr. Kodua, in an update on the aftermath of the floods in the region, stated that it was unfortunate that the floods claimed human lives, with 10 others missing.
He indicated that NADMO was trying its possible best to find the missing people.
Mr. Kodua said NADMO was still assessing the situation, revealing that so far 17 municipalities and districts in the region had been identified as having been affected by the floods.
He said the situation arose after rivers Birim, Densu, and the Ayensu overflowed their banks, forced their way into many homes, and displaced many residents.
Mr. Kodua further indicated that 45 mud houses collapsed at Akwadum as well as Asokore Zango, with the affected people losing their personal belongings with street running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben North, Nana Adjei Boateng, also attributed the damage caused by the torrential rains to poor drains and illegal mining or galamsey.
He said areas that were hit by the floods always experience floods whenever it rained heavily.
He expressed regret at the fact that people continued to encroach waterways which impede water flow, and causes flooding, anytime it rained.
The MP urged the flood victims to exercise restraint, as engineers worked assiduously to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Earlier, the victim at Asokore Zango had been identified as a 45-year-old taxi driver, Zakaria Hamidu.
The Chief of Asokore Zango, Alhaji Umar Faruk Bello, confirmed that Hamidu, a Muslim, had already been buried, in line with Islamic tradition.
Personal effects and electronic gadgets valued at thousands of Ghana cedis were washed away in the storm.
Sumaila Sabila Bobil, a resident of Asokore Zango, narrated how he struggled to salvage items such as a television set, a laptop, and a home theatre, all of which got damaged.
He said although the flood victims expected NADMO officials to visit the area and present them with some relief items, nothing of that sort had happened.
They appealed to the government for assistance.