President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Task Force to immediately mobilise to clear blocked waterways and remove debris following the devastating floods that claimed lives and displaced thousands across parts of the country.
According to the President, the exercise forms part of government’s emergency response to restore normalcy after the heavy downpour that inundated Accra and other coastal regions earlier this week.
Speaking during a joint press briefing with the visiting President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, President Mahama said the military had already begun deploying personnel to key locations to clear waterways and remove garbage washed across the city by the floods.
“We’ve asked the military and the Joint Task Force to immediately mobilise to bring things back to normal as quickly. The army has started mobilising to key points to clear the waterways and clear the garbage and the debris that was thrown all over the city by the rainfall,” he said.
President Mahama expressed optimism that conditions would improve within the next one to two weeks as the cleanup exercise progresses.
He disclosed that the recent floods affected not only Ghana but several countries across West Africa, stretching from Gabon through Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire.
The President revealed that an estimated 48,000 people had been displaced by the floods, with 12 deaths confirmed and seven others still unaccounted for.
He further announced that the Minister for Finance has released funds from the contingency fund to support both flood relief and mitigation measures.
According to him, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other relevant agencies will soon begin distributing relief items, including blankets, mattresses, tents, towels and other essential supplies to families displaced by the disaster.
President Mahama made the announcement while receiving Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who paid a solidarity visit to Ghana to commiserate with the government and people over the loss of lives and destruction caused by the recent floods.
