At least one person has been confirmed dead and two others reported missing after more than an hour of torrential rain in the northern regional capital, Tamale on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified by authorities as Hajia Fati Bapuni, was reportedly on her way to pick her children from school when she was swept away by rushing floods at a bridge near Gariba Lodge along the Tamale-Bolgatanga road.
She was said to have been advised to wait for a while for the running water to subside, but the deceased who is a teacher and the proprietor of a private school was reported to have expressed fears of the children under her care being carried away by the rushing flood water.
Videos of her predicament showed her Toyota rav4 being tossed around by running water and getting chocked on another bridge where her lifeless body was later removed by a rescue team and has since been deposited at the Tamale Teaching hospital morgue.
This incident at the Garibaldi lodge bridge is the second in as many as two years. In 2015, a parent lost his life after he attempted to cross the running water for his children.
Other victims of Tuesday’s rain and floods include a pupil at the Seventh Adventist Church and a child at Tishegu who were both reported missing by authorities.
Hundreds of residents have been displaced, and Several properties running into thousands of Ghana cedis have been destroyed, reports said.
The worst affected areas include Nyashegu, Fuo, Taha, Gumani, Nyohini Yapala, Kasaligu and other flood prone areas.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the regional security committee have toured the affected areas. Officials are yet to give an estimate of the number of displaced residents.
Government condolences
The government through the northern regional minister has described the disaster as asad day and urged residents who have been gripped with fears to remain calm.
Mr. Salifu Saeed, the regional minister, who led the security committee to tour the affected areas also visited victims at Tamale Teaching Hospital where he urge authorities to provide best medical care to the victims.
Poor drainage system in the fast developing city in west Africa
The perennial flooding has been attributed by many residents and urban city planning experts to the lack of a sewage system in the city. The city has no central sewage system and both close and open gutters are also choked with rubbish.
Experts have predicted that, the metropolis, if care is not taken, a three-hour heavy rain will submerge the city in water and business activities will be brought to a close.
Some have also blamed the way and manner people build on water ways.
While the Tamale mayor and his team is in the United States for one month business trip to bring investors to the city, he may also have to look for experts to re-plan the city to be flood free. His business ideas are likely to be hampered by the perennial flooding .
