The 2015 June 3rd Twin-Disaster in Accra : A Situational Analysis of Ghana’s Disaster Preparedness

Abstract

The Accra Metropolitan area has witnessed a surge in flooding events and has become an annual occurrence leading to the loss of human lives and properties. Despite efforts by NADMO and its international partners at addressing the problem of flooding, there seems to be little progress. Part of the reasons for a lack of progress has been the non-assessment of social vulnerability factors that predispose people to natural hazards. This study seeks to investigate the 2015 June 3rd Twin-Disaster in Accra with an objective of finding out the causes of the disaster and to assess NADMO’s role during the disaster situation. One of the key findings is the identification of social vulnerability factors that expose inhabitants of flood prone areas to harm. Interestingly, the study found that there was no link between mitigation and risk reduction initiatives and the vulnerability of people. The study echoes the fact that mitigation and disaster risk reduction initiatives fail to address vulnerability of people and the best way to win this ‘‘fight’’ against perennial flooding is to start addressing peoples’ social vulnerabilities holistically. The study conclude that there must be a rethinking of disaster management strategies to incorporate disaster risk reduction initiatives in communities by building resilient communities using a community based approach to build the capacity of local people. The study suggests the use of volunteer group formation as a strategy of building resilient communities