The wails of trapped residents pierced the rain-soaked air as rampaging floodwaters swallowed many communities across the country on Monday, claiming some lives and reducing homes to watery tombs.
What began as a routine downpour on June 28 quickly transformed into a nightmare for thousands by June 29.
By midday, the rains had turned bustling streets into raging currents that swept away vehicles, livestock, and in some cases, entire structures.
In some communities, the scene was apocalyptic. Flood levels climbed perilously close to second-story windows, forcing panicked families, some clutching infants and elderly relatives, to scramble onto corrugated iron roofs, waving desperately for hours before help arrived.
“The amount of rainfall recorded today is among the highest experienced in several years. Preliminary data indicates that approximately 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra. By comparison, the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year was about 56 millimetres.
“That aspect of the problem is beyond our control because it is driven by changing climatic conditions. There is the issue of human behaviour.
“Whenever government begins removing structures built in waterways, some people accuse us of being inhumane. Yet when disasters such as today’s flooding occur, the consequences affect everyone. The irresponsible actions of a few individuals end up putting entire communities at risk,” President John Dramani Mahama wrote after an aerial inspection.
Below are a few visuals found online.
