The Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Teddy Addi Safori, has said that the devastating floods that hit parts of Accra caught authorities by surprise despite earlier preparedness efforts.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr Safori described the situation as “very devastating,” stressing that while meteorological forecasts indicated rainfall, the intensity of Monday’s downpour was not fully anticipated.
“It’s very devastating. We didn’t see this coming,” he said.
According to him, the Ghana Meteorological Agency had only forecasted rainfall, and NADMO had undertaken early-year assessments and preparedness exercises ahead of the rainy season.
“The warning that the Ghana Meteorological Department gave us was just to expect some downpour, and NADMO as an institution at the beginning of this year did preparations and assessments for the rainy season, so we knew we were prepared,” he explained.
However, he noted that the scale of flooding exceeded expectations, describing it as a reminder of the unpredictability of nature.
“But nature is nature,” he added.
Mr Safori also pointed to poor sanitation practices as a major contributing factor to the severity of the flooding, saying filth and indiscriminate waste disposal worsened the situation in affected communities.
“One thing we have noticed among all the flood-affected areas is the filth. Even as it was raining, some people were still putting rubbish into the water,” he stated.
He warned that stronger enforcement measures may be introduced to curb such behaviour, suggesting that earlier attempts to clear waterways faced resistance from the public.
“We started a demolition exercise at the beginning of the year, but the backlash from Ghanaians made us stop it. I believe after this, the right communiqué will be sent so we can continue our work,” he said.
Mr Safori indicated that the recent floods have strengthened calls for long-term solutions to Accra’s drainage and sanitation challenges.
“Ghanaians are now ready for a permanent solution,” he added.
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