Residents of Vicolis and Amamorley Estates in the Ga North Municipality are counting their losses after torrential rains on Thursday night triggered severe flooding, destroying property, displacing families and leaving many without a place to sleep.

When Myjoyonline visited the affected communities on Friday morning, floodwaters had inundated several homes, with residents still struggling to salvage their belongings after a terrifying night.

Many recounted staying awake throughout the night, scooping water from their rooms, while others fled to nearby storey buildings to escape the rising floodwaters.

One of the affected residents, Ahmed, said the floods forced him to vacate his room after most of his belongings were destroyed or washed away.

He said he packed the few items he managed to salvage into jute bags and arranged for a vehicle to transport them because his room was no longer habitable.

“I had to pack everything I could save into jute bags for a car to carry them away this morning because I can’t stay in the room anymore. The water has taken away most of my belongings, and I don’t even know where I will sleep tonight,” he said.

Another resident, Apostle Isaac, said the floods devastated both his home and his church, leaving his family with nowhere to spend the night.

According to him, the flooding was so severe that his children were unable to attend school on Friday because their home had been completely submerged.

“Our whole place was flooded. My children couldn’t go to school today because everywhere was under water. Our beds, their books worth over three thousand cedis and many of our belongings have all been soaked,” he said.

He added that the floods also destroyed and washed away valuable church equipment, including speakers, keyboards and other musical instruments.

“We have lost our church instruments, including our speakers and keyboards. Everything has been damaged by the floodwaters, and now we don’t even have a place to sleep tonight,” he lamented.

Apostle Isaac, who has lived in the area for the past 10 years, described the incident as the worst flooding he had ever witnessed.

“I have stayed here for 10 years, and I have never seen anything like this before,” he said.

He attributed the flooding to the poor condition of the main Insakina drain, alleging that large quantities of refuse dumped into the gutter from other communities frequently obstruct the free flow of water.

According to him, residents had to climb into the drain this morning to remove accumulated rubbish to allow the floodwaters to recede.

“The Insakina gutter is always choked with so much debris that it overflows whenever it rains. The refuse doesn’t even come from our community; it’s carried from elsewhere. This morning, some residents had to get into the gutter to remove the rubbish so the water could flow. I believe that is what caused the flooding here last night,” he stated.

He appealed to the government and relevant authorities to urgently dredge and reconstruct the drainage system to prevent similar incidents.

“We are pleading with the authorities to dredge the gutter properly and construct a bigger drain so that we do not continue to suffer whenever it rains,” he appealed.

Residents fear the flooding could become a recurring occurrence if permanent drainage solutions are not implemented.

A former People’s National Convention (PNC) assembly member aspirant, Aikins Ayariga also criticised what he described as years of unfulfilled promises by successive authorities.

According to him, several public officials, including Members of Parliament, have visited the community over the years to inspect the drainage system and take measurements, but no substantial work has followed.

“MPs and other officials have come here several times. They measured the gutters and promised to address the problem, but unfortunately nothing has been done,” he said.

He called on the government to prioritise flood-control projects in the area, stressing that residents have endured the challenge for far too long.

Mr Ayariga further alleged that politics may have contributed to delays in addressing the drainage problem, claiming that inadequate funding had been made available for the necessary works.

Residents are now calling on the government, the Ga North Municipal Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to urgently dredge and reconstruct the drainage network in Olebu and Amamorley Estates before another heavy downpour results in further destruction of lives and property.