Victim of Swedru worst flood disaster shares her experience after 12 years
June 20, 2010, can be described as a bad day in the life of 56 year old Madam Efua Bronya and other residents of Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
It is believed to be a day of painful memory residents of the town would not forget. This is because of a flood disaster which caused massive destruction and loss of lives when it hit the ancient town.
Akora river that streams right in the middle of the town which serves as an alternative source of water enhances aesthetic echo tourism life in the town.
Efua was living at Nkubem, a suburb of Swedru that is situated close to the banks of Akora river.
On that fateful Sunday, Madam Efua Bronya who was 9 months’ pregnant had just returned from a church service. She saw an unusual rising of the water level of the river but was not much alarmed.
A few hours later she had information that some communities close to the river upstream were fast flooding.
Little did Efua know that their usually ‘friendly’ river was going to be so hostile as to render them homeless.
Before sunset, most of the houses along the banks had been flooded. Some of them collapsed, including Efua’s fellow residents’.
At that point homelessness became imminent thus she started packing her things when a wall collapsed with water coming into the house.
She helplessly hanged around with her one year old grand daughter till the next day.
After 12 years, Myjoyonline.com’s award winning photojournalist, Mr. David Andoh, visited the community to asses the situation. He met Efua who shared her experience with him for the first time.
Though Efua was in her last days of pregnancy at that time, the situation compelled her to sleep in the open till the next day when officials of the National Disaster Management Organization came to give them mattresses and took them to a near by church for temporary accommodation.
According to her, life became unbearable in the church since the weather was not favorable for her condition.
Eventually, Efua began feeling the pangs of child birth. The ambulance was brought to take her to the Swedru Government Hospital where she delivered a bouncing baby girl, Afia Yeboah Ofosu, who is now 12 years old. Her grand daughter, Mirabel Dadzie, who was sitting in front of her at the time of the flooding incident 12 years ago is now 13 years.
Though Efua survived the disaster, any time her daughter and grand daughter are around, it reminds her of those life-threatening days .
Source: Ghana News
