The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has described the torrential rains that hit Accra on Sunday, May 18, as unprecedented and shocking. They marked the worst flooding incident that parts of the capital have experienced in the past five years.
The downpour, which lasted nearly three hours from around 3:00 p.m., submerged several communities, rendering roads impassable and leaving many residents stranded.
Affected areas included Weija, Kaneshie, Adabraka, Adenta-Dodowa, Tema, and other parts of the capital. The Odaw drain, a key stormwater channel, overflowed due to the volume of rainwater, worsening the situation.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, NADMO’s Deputy Chief Disaster Control Officer, George Agbenatoe, said the intensity and impact of the flooding were unexpected.
Mr. Agbenatoe confirmed that as of Sunday evening, one casualty had been officially recorded, although there were reports of a possible drowning, which was yet to be verified at the time.
NADMO officials are currently on the ground assessing the full extent of the damage and verifying casualty reports.
Authorities are urging the public to remain cautious, especially in flood-prone areas, as more rain is expected in the coming weeks.
He said, “What happened was that, it was so surprising, in undated areas, we received so many distress calls from Adenta, Nanakrom, New Lagoon, and its environment. So yesterday, our operations were concentrated on those areas. The flood was massive, most buildings, were submerged, people were trapped in their homes. So we had to bring them to safe grounds, our rescue guys have to, I mean, went and swam into the floodwaters and bring them to safe grounds. So this morning, we are currently on the flood, on the grounds, because still, there are people trapped in their homes that we need to get them, currently. The last time we experienced such a flood was about five years ago. But this very one, I wouldn’t say it was overwhelmed, it did rain heavily.”
Mr. Agbenatoe added, “Yes, for the casualties, we’re just hearing, but we are yet to confirm the casualties. So far we heard, last night we heard that one person was swept away. But we need to confirm that. So today, on the ground, those assessments will be done by our district staff, and they will give us a report on that as to whether there were casualties or not. But yesterday, no, we didn’t experience any casualties. We were able to rescue those that were trapped in their rooms. We rescued them out, with the support of the Ghana National Fire Service as well, and the locals.”
However, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Adentan, Ella Esiman Nongo, later confirmed that three individuals lost their lives as a result of the flooding in her municipality.
