Over 1,000 residents of Akyem Oda rendered homeless

More than 1, 100 residents of Akyem Oda were rendered homeless when the Birim River overflowed its banks and flowed into 500 homes about 500 metres away.

Dr Kwasi Akyem Apea-Kubi, the Eastern Regional Minister, in the company of Ms Ophelia Koomson, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Ransford Owusu-Boakye, Eastern Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and other officials inspected some of the flooded areas on Sunday.

Among the areas affected were the Oda Asomodwe, Oda Jamaica, Oda Old Town, Pentecost and Oda Old Town Zongo.

The river has divided the Zongo area into two parts and people from one side could not cross to the other.

Mr Samuel Ahiakonu, 56, a famer and his wife, Vicky Tompe 31, who were returning from farm on Saturday could not cross the river from the Zongo area and had to spend the night on a cocoa tree until Sunday morning.

Mr Ahiakonu told the Minister and his entourage that he risked his life to swim across the River in the morning and reported the situation to Mr Owusu-Boakye who sent a boat to rescue his wife.

Ms Koomson advised people whose homes were flooded by the River to move to safer grounds.

She told the victims that NADMO was ready to assist them to move their personal belongings to a place the assembly had arranged for them.

Ms Koomson said so far the assembly had managed to arrange with some Churches to provide shelter for those who had no place to stay.

Dr Apea-Kubi said the floods were not the result of rains at Akyem Oda but rather 36 hours of rainfall at Fanteakwa District last week that poured into the Birim River.

Dr Apea-Kubi appealed to people living near the River to heed the advice of NADMO and move to safer grounds.

He said the government had made available some relief items to be distributed to those affected and that the “48” Engineer Regiment had deployed three boats to assist affected communities to cross the River.

Source: GNA