Some of the affected people fleeing in the area
Hundreds of residents of Anlo Beach Town, Bosomdo and Supom Dunkwaw – all coastal communities in the Shama District of the Western Region – have been rendered homeless and will have to look for alternative places to lay their heads following their homes being taken over by floods last Friday.
According to some of the residents, a heavy downpour in the area last Thursday evening and Friday morning caused the nearby River Pra to overflow its banks and submerged their dwellings.
Apart from the heavy downpour, some of the people also attributed the development to illegal mining activities in the river, which they claimed some Chinese nationals continue to perpetrate.
The residents indicated that they were overwhelmed by the floods which destroyed properties running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
The floods blocked the access roads to the communities, and people could move in and out only with the help of a canoe which was being operated by some residents for a fee.
No casualty was recorded but officials of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) had visited the communities to assess the extent and cost of damage to properties.
Last Friday, a Deputy Director General of NADMO, Abu Ramadan, Western Regional Director of NADMO, Abdul Ganiyu Mohammed and some other officials from the organization, together with the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Gifty Kusi, visited the affected communities to assess the situation.
It was revealed that larger portions of the Anlo Beach Town were covered by water; and it was feared the insanitary condition in the area could cause cholera outbreak in the face of the floods.
At Bosomdo Krobo, for instance, it was said that the use of boat was the only means of transport.
The floods also submerged large acres of farmlands in the community.
Hughes Ametepe, Shama District Director of NADMO, disclosed that the communities experienced a similar tragedy about seven years ago.
Mattresses, buckets, cups, mosquito nets, mosquito coils, plates, spoon and other relief items were presented to the affected persons.
Personnel from Ghana National Fire Service were also at hand to offer a helping hand.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Shama