General News of Saturday, 20 June 2009

Source: GNA

Recent Accra floods claim seven lives

Accra, June 20, G NA - T he Greater Accra Regional Administration, has announced that intensity of rainfall that occurred last Friday night, has caused flooding in some low lying areas within the Accra Metropolis, resulting in some in deaths.

It said the areas included Sakaman, Mataheko, Kaneshie and Mallam, adding that seven lives have been confirmed lost by the Police. A statement, signed by Nii Armah Ashiety, Greater Accra Regional Minister, and made available to GNA on Saturday., said the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), was coordinating emergency response to bring relief to the affected communities.

It said safe havens have bee provided at the Mataheko Cluster of schools and affected persons were encouraged to move to the safe havens and disclosed that the phone number of the operation room of NADMO was 0244-444350.

The statement said: "a section of the Kaneshie Mallam Road was damaged by the floods and the Department of Urban Roads has started repair works on the damaged section. We appealed to the travelling public to observe the traffic management measures put in place." It said a special taskforce would be put in place to desilt critical drains in the affected areas and maintain security.