Man Drowns In Flood

INFORMATION FILTERING into the office of DAILY GUIDE indicates that Abusua Kwadwo, a 37-year-old farmer had drowned in the Tano River after a downpour in the low-lying areas at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western region.

Reports are that Kwadwo was evacuating some items in a dug-out canoe last Wednesday after a heavy rainfall when his canoe capsized.

His body was washed ashore that fateful day and his relatives went for it and deposited it at the Sefwi-Wiawso Government Hospital.
It had since been released for burial.

Areas affected by the rain include Sefwi Tanoso, Nsawora, Ahwiam, Kpoikrom, Oseikrom, Boppa, Gyatokrom, Nsuonsua and Adukrom, all in the Sefwi Wiawso District.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that many houses, cocoa farms, oil palm plantations, cassava farms, rice farms, food crops as well as personal belongings valued at millions of cedis had been destroyed by the floods.

When contacted, the Deputy Western Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Francis Mills confirmed the incident, but assured residents that NADMO personnel were on the ground to monitor the situation and assist victims.

He added that his outfit had received reports that rivers Bia and Sui in the Juaboso District of the Western Region had also overflowed their banks and that many farmers in the area could not go to their farms.

Mr. Francis Donkor, Sefwi-Wiawso Deputy District NADMO Co-ordinator in charge of Operations, Disaster and Relief, also corroborated the reports, explaining that the flood was as a result of a heavy rain.

He intimated that NADMO in collaboration with some “good Samaritans” had been able to evacuate the people of Boppa and Awunakrom who were worse hit by the rains.

He said most of the people had been rendered homeless, though others had gone to settle with relatives and friends in nearby towns and villages, adding, “we have also been able to settle 72 people at Sefwi-Ahwiam”.

He appealed to government, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists to come to the aid of the flood victims since there was not enough food for them at the moment, though NADMO had supplied them with blankets.

From Sam Mark Essien, Takoradi