Disaster Hits Manya Krobo

A RECENT rainstorm that hit several towns and villages in the Manya Krobo district about ten days ago has not only put extra financial stress on the assembly and government, but has also put to the fore the multi-million dollar question of how prepared are we as a nation to manage disaster whenever it raises its ugly head.

Nearly two weeks after the October 12 downpour that virtually swept away the entire Volta River Estates Limited (otherwise known as Banana Farms), pupils of some eight schools that were badly affected in Manya Krobo still learn in the open, and in the scorching sun even as heavy rains threaten the area. The Local Authority Junior Secondary School (LA JSS) had been razed to the ground and as at the time of filing this report the fate of the 300 pupils in terms of whether the school would be closed down or not was yet to be determined.

Further down south in the Lower Manya area where this reporter toured extensively, the power of rain was just amazing. The Krobo Girls Secondary School, Foreman Memorial Primary and JSS, Nuaso Roman Catholic Primary School, Manya Kpongunor Presbyterian Primary School, Kpong Methodist JSS and Kpong Roman Catholic JSS all had their roofs blown away or their buildings destroyed. For his part, Mr. Daniel Ocansey, proprietor of Ahumah Memorial Academy, a private school at Kpong, said for the next unforeseeable time he would have to turn the Presbyterian Church and the offices of the area council into classrooms for his pupils.

At the Volta River Authority (VRA) resettlement area, Mr. Thomas Baah, a teacher at the roman Catholic JSS, that had its roofing reduced in half, stood in for the headmaster, Mr. Dzidzornu, and explained that learning and teaching had not been pleasant to pupils and teachers alike. Mr. Baah said he was not happy with the rate at which response was coming since any further delay would definitely affect the performance of the children, particularly the final year students.

More precarious is the fact that the people and chiefs have braced themselves for the celebration of the annual 'Ngamayen' festival with its attendant funerals and family gatherings, yet many are not certain whether their destroyed houses would be in good shape early enough for the festivities. A Chronicle follow-up mission across the district noted that in Sekesua, and its surrounding towns and villages in the Upper Manya area, nearly 70 per cent of the buildings have been damaged in one way or the other excluding affected farmlands.

In a similar vein, the number of houses and shops affected is yet to be ascertained as reports keep trickling in by the day. Four casualties in critical condition were also recorded. Hon. Masaudu Abdulai Liman, assembly member for Kpong Zongo electoral area, stated that apart from four houses and some shops, a public toilet in the town is no more usable as it has become roofless. Many fishmongers in the area also had their sheds washed away. Many who spoke to Chronicle prayed that help would come soonest before things got out of hand.

So far, teams from the district and the region visited the worst hit areas, on October 14 and 17 are still making the rounds to raise the estimated ?350 million initial emergency support that would be needed to alleviate the hardships inflicted on the people.

When Chronicle visited the district offices of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), which is now referred to as National Emergency Relief agency (NERA), the deputy co-coordinator, Mr. T. E. Narh, said even though his boss, Mr. Joe Sam, had been making frantic efforts by linking with Koforidua and the Accra headquarters, he was worried that with the 'Ngmayen' festival around the corner, many who had trooped in from the villages may have nowhere to lay their heads.

Mr. Narh further stated his fears that some of the badly affected schools maybe temporarily closed down for rehabilitation works to begin when a first consignment of 100 bundles of roofing sheets he was expecting eventually arrives. At the moment NADMO/NERA has some mattresses and second-hand clothing to give out for warmth, but it appears most of the people would opt for shelter.