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About 4,600 people in the Central Region have been affected by floods and fire outbreaks in the past two weeks.
The Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood Mensah, said the situation had prompted emergency rescue operations and the need for urgent relief assistance.
Mr Mensah made this known last Tuesday when he visited the scene of a collapsed storey building near London Bridge in Cape Coast, where two lives were lost over the weekend.
According to him, the affected areas spanned several municipalities and districts, including Awutu Senya East, Gomoa East, Awutu Senya West, Effutu, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem -Abrem (KEEA), Twifo Atti Morkwaa, Hemang Lower Denkyira, Agona West, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Agona East, and the Cape Coast Metropolis.
A flooded residential area in Cape Coast
In the Cape Coast Metropolis, he indicated that the communities hit included London Bridge, Zion, Gyeagyaano, OLA Madina, Aquarium, Siwdu Estate, Antem, Ntsin, Amamoma, Ekon, Brofoyedur, Kitsiwdo, Mempeasem, Nkanfoa, 3rd Ridge, Ayensu, Kwaprow, Adisadel (Church of Christ School), Pedu, and North Ola.
Also, parts of the KEEA Municipality, such as Teterim, Gwira Akyinim, Pershie, Peace Avenue, Ataabadze and Mmofra Akyinim were flooded.
Mr Dawood Mensah narrated that the tragic incident occurred on Saturday, June 21, when torrential rains caused an old storey building near London Bridge in Cape Coast to collapse, trapping five people under the rubble.
He commended rescue teams from NADMO, the Ghana National Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Ghana Police Service and the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA), who were quickly deployed to mitigate the impact.
He added that the timely intervention of the Regional Minister, the MCE of Cape Coast and the NADMO regional office ensured that earth-moving equipment was provided to assist with the rescue.
Two of the victims, Fredrick Kwesi Yeboah, 21, and Obaapanyin Ataa Kakra, 79, were rescued and rushed to the hospital, where they were stabilised.
The regional office of NADMO has appealed for relief items to support victims
However, two others, Obaapanyin Ataa Panyin, 79, and Opanyin Emmanuel Ankaful, 83, were retrieved lifeless and pronounced dead on arrival.
Opanyin Emmanuel Ankrah would have celebrated his 83rd birthday last Sunday but he died a day before that.
He was a famous photographer in Cape Coast, popularly known as Ankwesi [Uncle Kwesi].
Following the collapse, Mr Mensah said the CCMA, through its disaster management committee and in collaboration with NADMO, and other stakeholders, undertook a demolition exercise targeting dangerously weak buildings, billboards and other structures deemed risky.
He said NADMO had also launched an urgent appeal to civil society organisations, religious groups, philanthropists and the general public to assist with relief efforts.
He outlined critical needs such as food, clean water, shelter, medical care, clothing, trauma counselling and financial support for displaced families.
He emphasised that many households had lost their homes and livelihoods, and that vulnerable persons, especially children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, were in dire need of help.
He expressed his appreciation to all agencies and individuals who played key roles in responding to the emergency.
He commended the Regional Minister, Ekow Payin Eduamoah Okyere, the Ghana Police Service, Fire Service, CCMA, NADMO officers and members of the public whose cooperation and swift action helped minimise the impact.
Mr Dawood Mensah described the collective response as a powerful display of unity and community resilience, adding that NADMO remained committed to supporting all affected families in rebuilding their lives.
In the aftermath of last Saturday’s building collapse, some of the victims and their families have called on the public for urgent assistance, including financial aid and temporary accommodation, to help them recover from the ordeal.
One of the affected individuals, Madam Doris Essilfie Mensah, who was present during the directors’ visit, appealed for help to cover the hospital bills of her 21-year-old son, Fredrick Kwesi Yeboah, who remained on admission at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
Others called for the evacuation of occupants of these old buildings and for them to be renovated as tourist attractions but not to be totally demolished.
Nonetheless, the CCMA has demolished two of such old buildings which are dilapidated.Three others have also been earmarked for demolishing.These are old buildings not less than 100 years old.
