How safe are we in the days ahead

Cars struggling to make their way through the flood

Per the weather forecast from the Meteorological Service Department, the country should expect more rains this June and perhaps in July.

The worry as a country is not the rain per say, because we need the rain for a number of things especially to boost crop production and more importantly our energy requirements as the two major energy sources, Bui Dam and Akosombo Hydro-Electric Power all depend on rain to function effectively, but the aftermath of each downpour.

In the capital city of Accra, some communities cannot contain 30 minutes of heavy downpour. It becomes headache and a matter of life and death, and as such any change in weather means seeking where to find safety until the rain subsides if it really falls.

Thursday’s heavy downpours that lasted almost the whole day were a wake-up call to many people in the capital. Starting as early as 3:30 am in most part of the capital, the rain continued with intermittent breaks making it look like it was all over, only to return stronger few minutes after.

Residents in areas heavily affected by the flood including Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Kaneshie, Caprice, Dome, Teshie,among others are still counting their losses following the loss of properties and even human lives.

This filling station also experiences the ordeal

So high were the flood levels that most roads were just inaccessible because drivers could not recognize where the road was and which area was dangerous. The roads were characterized with heavy traffic leaving many commuters stranded at the various terminals.

Many were those who could not hide their frustrations and held insults at the city authorities for not being proactive to avert this situation. Unfortunately, we have lost sight of our own attitudes that resulted in choked gutters and other drainage systems. For as long as we refuse to identify that we have a part to play to resolve this situation as citizens the problem will be with us.

Flooding also comes with deteriorating road networks as deep portholes have started emerging on our roads and we do not expect any intervention anytime soon not when the rains are still with us.

What is more important now is how we protect ourselves, families and belongings anytime danger looms.