At least nine people are feared dead following severe flooding that swept through large parts of the Awutu Senya East Municipality in the Central Region after hours of heavy rainfall on Monday 29 June.
The devastating floods displaced hundreds of residents, submerged homes, and destroyed properties in several affected communities, leaving many families stranded and counting their losses.
Residents of Dokutsekope described the incident as one of the worst flooding situations the community has experienced in recent years.
According to eyewitnesses, floodwaters rose rapidly to window level, forcing residents to flee their homes for safety.
Entire households were displaced as water inundated buildings, destroying personal belongings, electrical appliances, furniture, and other valuables.
“We have never seen anything like this before. The water entered our rooms very quickly and reached the windows. Many people lost everything,” a resident recounted.
Neighbouring communities including Gao Line and Kpormetey were also heavily affected by the floods, with several roads rendered inaccessible and many houses submerged.
Emergency response teams from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) together with security agencies launched rescue operations in the affected communities.
Due to the severity of the flooding, rescuers had to rely on canoes to evacuate trapped residents from their homes.
Leader of the rescue team, Joseph Gwensen, disclosed that several victims, including children, were trapped in flooded buildings when rescue efforts began.
“Our team managed to rescue a number of residents using canoes because many areas became inaccessible.
Some children and elderly persons were trapped inside their homes,” he stated.
The flooding caused panic among residents as many struggled to move to safer grounds while others sought temporary shelter in nearby schools and churches.
Despite the rescue efforts, some residents expressed disappointment over what they described as inadequate logistics and equipment available to NADMO during emergency situations.
According to them, the lack of proper rescue tools slowed operations and made it difficult for emergency personnel to respond swiftly to all distress calls.
The affected residents are therefore calling on government to urgently resource NADMO with modern rescue equipment, boats, and emergency supplies to improve disaster response during floods and other emergencies.
Meanwhile, authorities are expected to begin assessment of the affected communities as efforts continue to account for missing persons and provide relief support to displaced families.
The latest flooding incident adds to growing concerns over perennial flooding in parts of the Central Region and Greater Accra, especially during the rainy season.
By 1960news.com
