President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that about 48,000 people have been displaced while 12 others have been confirmed dead following the devastating floods that hit parts of southern Ghana after a heavy downpour earlier this week.
Speaking at a brief meeting with the President of Sierra Leone and Chairman of ECOWAS, Julius Maada Bio, at the Jubilee Lounge in Accra on July 3, President Mahama said the floods severely affected Accra and other coastal regions, leaving thousands homeless and causing extensive destruction.
The rainstorm was part of a larger weather system that affected several West African countries, including Gabon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and La Côte d’Ivoire.
President Mahama announced that the government has directed the Ghana Armed Forces and a joint task force to immediately mobilize personnel to restore normalcy by clearing blocked waterways, removing debris, and cleaning affected communities.
“This downpour came in such a huge deluge that a lot of people were displaced. We estimate that about 48,000 people were rendered homeless by the downpour and 12 are confirmed dead, seven are still unaccounted for,” he said.
The President expressed optimism that normalcy would be restored within the next one to two weeks.
“I am happy the Minister of Finance has provided money from the contingency fund, both for flood mitigation and also for flood relief. And so soon, NADMO and associated organizations will start to distribute relief items to the families that have been displaced, especially materials like blankets, mattresses, tents, towels, and other items that they can use to ease the pressure that they have been under,” he stated.
The President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, visited Ghana to express his condolence and the solidarity of the government and the people of Sierra Leone, as well as the ECOWAS community, following the devastating floods that claimed lives and caused widespread destruction across parts of the country.
“As African leaders, we must strengthen disaster preparedness, invest in resilient infrastructure, improve urban planning, protect our environment, and deepen regional cooperation so that our countries are better equipped to withstand these increasingly complex challenges.
Moments thereafter, President Mahama hosted senior citizens at the presidential villa as part of the Republic Day holiday.
He urged the senior citizens not to relent in adding their voices to the building of the country.
