The Volta Regional capital Ho, experienced heavy downpour last Saturday, resulting in flooding of the municipality , thereby creating fear and panic among residents who feared for more of such rains within the year.
The nearly three-hour downpour saw the main business centre of the capital, popularly known as Civic Centre flooded as the main storm gutter around Togbe Afede’s palace could not contain the gushing water flooding the roads and shops in the process.
No life was lost, but the receding waters caused extensive damage to properties.
Described by residents as historic after many years, the victims appealed to the government to assist them to replace their lost items.
The Civic Centre, the heart of business activities in the municipality became a restricted area for more than two hours even after the rain stopped, preventing vehicular and human movement in the area, and the only human activity that could be heard was wailing.
The Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Divine Richard Komla Bosson and a team of experts from the Assembly and the Volta Regional Director and personnel of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) visited the flooded areas, and sympathised with the victims.
Mr Bosson who briefed the media after visiting the flooded areas yesterday said preliminary assessment of the situation showed that some bridges in the town were weak and could not contain the flood and others were broken as a result of the flood.
He said it was observed during the tour that people living along drainage systems used the drains as their refuse dump adding that some buildings were on waterways.
The Volta Regional Director of NADMO, Ms Ivy Amewugah, said assessment of the flooding was still ongoing adding that assistance would be provided for victims who needed it.
A victim at Ho-Bankoe, Mr Paul Abah, whose private home was flooded attributed the weekend flood to technical challenges as a result of road construction work in the area, and called on the authorities to as a matter of urgency correct the problem to prevent any future occurrences of flood in the area.
A chief of Ho-Bankoe, Togbe Adu Bobi VI, said the people of the area would help the assembly to prevent people from farming and building on waterways, to ensure that the issue of flood would not be experienced anymore.
FROM LAWRENCE MARKWEI, HO
