A rainstorm has caused extensive damage in the Anloga District of the Volta Region, resulting in the destruction of properties worth millions of Ghana cedis.
The storm primarily affected residential and educational buildings, as well as business, electricity, and telecommunication installations.
The National Disaster Management Organisation’s Anloga Secretariat reported that approximately 20 educational institutions were impacted by the storm. This included 18 public basic schools and two secondary schools, with buildings suffering from roof damage, destroyed books and learning materials, and uprooted trees on school premises.
The Anlo Senior High School was particularly hard hit, with significant damage to its dining hall pavilion, kitchen, ICT laboratory, Agricultural Science laboratory, Visual Arts block, sports pavilion, Azumah Pavilion, assembly sheds, parking lots, housemistress’s bungalow, ironing shed, and two girls’ dormitory blocks.
The Headmaster of the Anlo Senior High School, Wisdom Kwame Adeti, expressed concern about the students’ welfare, noting that feeding them has become a challenge due to the damaged dining facility. He called on the government to expedite the completion of a dining hall project that was initiated over a decade ago to provide a suitable dining space for the students.
“The problem is that the new dining hall being constructed since 2012 has not been completed. The temporal shed made for us has also been pulled down by the rain. As we speak, we have challenges cooking for our students”, he said.
Dominic Yao Dzanado, the Anloga District Education Director, expressed concern that the recent disaster would disrupt academic activities as schools are set to reopen on April 30, 2024. He mentioned that the district has reached out to the Parents Teacher Association (PTA) for assistance, but there are uncertainties regarding their ability to address the situation adequately. Dzanado appealed for support to repair the affected structures and ensure that schools are ready for reopening.
“Our cry is that we need support from the government, from NGOs, civil society organizations, to come to the aid of our schools so that something can be done concerning the roofing of the schools, and putting up certain structures for the students to learn under when school resumes”, he said.
Approximately 300 houses were damaged by the rainstorm, predominantly with roofs torn off, resulting in the displacement of affected households. The storm also caused a mobile telecommunications mast in Dzita to collapse, while electrical installations across the district suffered significant damage, leaving some areas without power as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) works to repair the affected lines.
Seth Yormewu, the Anloga District Chief Executive, expressed sorrow over the devastation caused by the storm, labeling it the worst damage ever experienced in the district from a storm. He highlighted the plight of fisherfolk whose livelihoods depend on fishing, noting that the storm damaged their fishing gear, jeopardizing their trade.
Although Mr. Yormewu lamented the poor condition of the affected schools, he expressed gratitude that the unfortunate incident occurred during the holidays, minimizing its impact on academic activities. He appealed for external support to help restore normalcy in the affected areas.
Approximately 300 houses were damaged by the rainstorm, predominantly with roofs torn off, resulting in the displacement of affected households. The storm also caused a mobile telecommunications mast in Dzita to collapse, while electrical installations across the district suffered significant damage, leaving some areas without power as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) works to repair the affected lines.
Seth Yormewu, the Anloga District Chief Executive, expressed sorrow over the devastation caused by the storm, labeling it the worst damage ever experienced in the district from a storm. He highlighted the plight of fisherfolk whose livelihoods depend on fishing, noting that the storm damaged their fishing gear, jeopardizing their trade.
Although Mr. Yormewu lamented the poor condition of the affected schools, he expressed gratitude that the unfortunate incident occurred during the holidays, minimizing its impact on academic activities. He appealed for external support to help restore normalcy in the affected areas.