At least 18 people have lost their lives and nearly 9,000 residents have been affected following devastating floods, building collapses, mudslides, drowning incidents and falling trees triggered by torrential rains across the Central Region over the weekend.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) said the disasters affected 13 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), with the Cape Coast Metropolis emerging as the worst-hit area.

Speaking during a post-disaster assessment tour, the Central Regional Director of NADMO, Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood, disclosed that Cape Coast alone recorded six deaths, five resulting from collapsed buildings and one from drowning.

He said assessments conducted by NADMO and the Regional Disaster Management Committee identified 8,981 victims across the affected districts, while 58 buildings collapsed, leaving 377 people displaced.

Many affected residents have since sought temporary shelter with relatives, friends, churches and traditional authorities.

The affected areas include Cape Coast, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, Mfantseman, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese, Upper Denkyira East, Upper Denkyira West and Awutu Senya West, among others.

Mr Dawood explained that the fatalities were caused by a combination of building collapses, flooding, mudslides, landslides, drowning incidents and falling trees.

He said the scale of the disaster had severely strained NADMO’s relief resources and appealed to corporate organisations, NGOs, faith-based groups, traditional authorities and philanthropists to support victims with food, mattresses, blankets, roofing sheets, medical supplies, hygiene kits and educational materials.

He expressed particular concern about students in Cape Coast whose hostels and personal belongings, including books, laptops and mattresses, were destroyed by floodwaters, especially in communities around the University of Cape Coast and Cape Coast Technical University.

Floods Central Region — Floods in the Central Region

As part of efforts to prevent further casualties, Mr Dawood announced that occupants of structurally weak and unsafe buildings in Cape Coast had been given a final 14-day ultimatum, effective June 21, to vacate the premises.

He said inspections by NADMO, the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly and building inspectors had identified several dangerous structures, many of them over a century old and weakened by age, poor maintenance and prolonged exposure to harsh weather conditions.

Authorities, he warned, would commence demolition exercises after the deadline, with owners and occupants required to bear the cost if they fail to comply.

Mr Dawood attributed the recurring flooding in Cape Coast largely to indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and watercourses, blocked drainage systems and the illegal reclamation of wetlands and natural waterways.

He noted that plastic waste and unregulated developments had obstructed the natural flow of stormwater, worsening flooding in communities such as Amamoma, Ayensu, Kwaprow and Apewosika.

With more rainfall forecast in the coming weeks, he urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone communities to relocate to safer areas, warning that the region could face further disasters if precautionary measures are not taken.

“What we witnessed over the weekend is just the tip of the iceberg. More torrential rains are expected, and we must act now to protect lives and property,” he cautioned.