OCHA Situation Report No. 1
Ghana - Floods
12 June 2002


This report summarises information received from the UN Resident
Coordinator's Office in Ghana.


Situation

1.  At least 2,000 people in Ghana have been displaced by floods, caused
by heavy rains in the capital, Accra, and in the second largest central
city of Kumasi. Unconfirmed reports from the Greater Accra Regional office
of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) indicate that the
floods have caused four deaths and material damage.

2.  The city of Accra recorded 123.3 millimeters of rain during a 10-hour
downpour between the night of Sunday 9th June and the morning of Monday
10th June 2002, causing flooding in low-lying sections of the city.
Families have been evacuated to higher ground through military
intervention. Most affected suburbs of Accra are Mamprobi, Dansomnam,
Okaishie and Adabraka.

3.  Properties worth billions of Ghanaian Cedi (7,700 Cedi= 1 USD) were
destroyed as a result of the floods. The floods, which rose to window
level in some homes, carried away personal belongings including cars and
kiosks.

4.  Business enterprises and schools were not spared. Office equipment and
wares in shops were damaged or destroyed in the process.  Buildings were
partly submerged in water while walls, bridges and culverts were washed
away. Notable among these are schools, filling stations, lorry parks and
factories.

5.  The Meteorological Services Department has forescast that heavy rains
should be expected during the months of June and July 2002.


Coordination

6.  The National Disaster Management Office (NADMO) will hold a
coordination meeting today with the national relief actors, the UN
Resident Coordinator's Office and the UN agencies to review the
assessments made on the affected people's needs.


National and international response

7.  The Government has not requested any international assistance.

8.  So far, NADMO has provided 20 tents and a quantity of blankets to the
victims of floods. Apart from these, no donations have been made and no
pledges have been received. At the moment, staff of NADMO and other
government agencies are assessing the full extent of the damage and
related humanitarian needs of the victims. UN agencies are still
monitoring the situation for an appropriate response.

9.  The cause of the floods, as reported by the Ghanaian media, is
attributed to the lack of adequate drainage facilities, flawed engineering
works, poor physical planning, particularly buildings and other structures
in waterways, choked and low-capacity drains.  In response to solving the
perennial problem in the city, donors have given USD 8,2 million.

10. The French government has donated USD 5 million for desilting,
construction and restructuring of primary drains and pledged an additional
USD 11 million for the same purpose. The World Bank has also given USD 3.2
million for the construction and restructuring of some primary drains in
the city.

11. OCHA remains in close contact with UNDP Ghana and will revert with
further information, as it becomes available.

12. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing
emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at
http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Mr. Max Bonnel,  direct Tel. +41 22 917 1457
  Ms. Ute Kollies Cummings,  direct Tel. +41 22 917 3948

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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