River Dayi flood displaces more than 3,000 in Hohoe as relief supplies are organised

Pinned summary · as of 16:02

The River Dayi has flooded several communities in Hohoe, a municipality in Ghana's Volta Region, pushing more than 3,000 residents out of their homes. Zongo, where over half the area went under, is among the places hit hardest, and families have been placed in temporary shelters such as school classrooms.

What we know

• MyJoyOnline, Rainbow Radio Online and The Vaultz News agree that heavy rain sent the River Dayi over its banks, flooding parts of Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region.
• MyJoyOnline, Rainbow Radio Online and The Vaultz News put the number of displaced residents at more than 3,000 and the number of homes affected at over 400, and Hohoe MP Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo gave the same two numbers.
• Several communities beside the river were flooded. Zongo suffered most, with more than half of it reported to be under water.
• Families who had to leave their homes were moved into temporary accommodation that included school classrooms, while officials looked for more suitable places for them to stay.
• Mr Tsekpo said the emergency was beyond what he and the Municipal Chief Executive could manage by themselves, and he asked individuals, organisations and other stakeholders to step in.
• The MP paid tribute to the security services and to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for getting people out of vulnerable areas, which he said helped avoid deaths.
• Mr Tsekpo and the Municipal Chief Executive, Prosper Kumi, both linked the rising water to the river's source across the border in Togo, and the MP said levels were still climbing even though rain had stopped falling in Hohoe.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Accounts differ on whether the water is going down. NADMO's Volta Regional Director, Pascal Agbagba, told MyJoyOnline it had receded and some people were returning home, while the MP told the same publication and others that levels were still rising.
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  Higher numbers are also circulating. Mr Agbagba put those affected at about 5,000 and later spoke of more than 4,000 households in about 400 houses, and the Ghanaian Times reported that 5,285 people were displaced. These figures count different things and only one report carries each.
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  MyJoyOnline reported the MP as saying more than 700 people were sheltering in classrooms. No other report gives this figure.
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  The Vaultz News reported that a bridge serving an isolated community was washed away, and quoted Mr Kumi saying the Kitikpa Bridge had been lost and the route from Gbi Wegbe to Alavanyo was impassable. No other independent report has confirmed this.
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  Chale News, citing the Ghana News Agency, reported an assembly member as saying no lives were lost and that his electoral area alone had more than 150 damaged houses. The Ghanaian Times likewise said no casualty was reported, and Raphael Kumagah of NADMO's Hohoe office was quoted as saying his outfit was in control. No official casualty count appears in the reports.
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  Mr Kumi told The Vaultz News that the assembly expected a possible cholera outbreak, had held an emergency health meeting and was supplying water to the hospital and other key institutions. He has not been quoted on this elsewhere.
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  Volta Regional Minister James Gunu promised government support and said relief items were being arranged, and NADMO said its national office was preparing more than 1,000 mattresses and had begun handing out food and other items. Only MyJoyOnline has reported these commitments.
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  MyJoyOnline said Mr Kumi appealed for more relief supplies after receiving items from A1 Restaurant, and that his message was that needs remain urgent. No other report carries this appeal.

Why it matters for Ghana

Hundreds of families in Hohoe have lost their homes, belongings and, in some cases, their bearings, and many depend on classroom floors and donated meals for now. The reports point to trouble with clean water and the risk of illness once flooding subsides, and to cut-off roads and bridges that could keep pupils, traders and farmers from moving around. With local officials saying they are stretched, the response will depend on help from NADMO's national office, businesses and the public.