Accra, April 26, GNA - The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), in collaboration with its stakeholders on Friday toured flood prone areas in Accra and Tema Metropolis to identify safe haven for flood victims should there be any disaster.

Some of the areas visited include, Alajo, Odawna, Obetsebi, Lamptey Circle, Asylum Down, Ashaiman, Chemu Lagoon Tema community 18, and 22. Major Nicholas Mensah (Rtd), Public Relations Officer of NADMO briefing the media said the tour was the second in a series to enable their taskforce to plan effectively for rapid response in case of flood disasters. He said a Rapid Response Task Force comprising representatives of the Ghana Army Forces, Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Town and Country Planning and the media would be replicated in the other regions.

According to Major Mensah, the task force would also sensitize residents in the flood prone areas on what to do before, during and after the floods to safeguard their lives.

He said during the first visit, the task force realized that most of these floods were cause by engineering defects in the construction of their drainage systems.

Major Mensah said human factors contributed to 60 percent of the flooding, as a result of indiscriminately dumping of refuse to choke gutters and water ways.

Mr Joseph Abraham Reynolds, Tema Metropolitan Co-ordinator of NADMO advised estate developers to consult appropriate authorities such as the Town and Country Planning for guidelines when acquiring land for development.