Tidal waves hit Agavedzi-Sarakope: 521 rendered homeless

A total of 521 people displaced by tidal waves at Agavedzi-Sarakope in the Ketu South Municipality have taken refuge in the chapel of the local AME Zion Church and a basic school classroom.

Ghanaian Time has gathered as of last Friday, 67 houses were submerged in the deluge.

An official of the Volta Regional Headquarters of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in Ho, Mr Pascal Agbagba confirmed the story to the Ghanaian Times on Friday.

He said that those rendered homeless included 167 male adults, 201 female adults, 60 male children and 89 female children.

Mr Agbogba said that the sea claimed the community on Sunday, June 30, following rising tides.

Meanwhile, he said, NADMO had requested the Power Distribution Service (PDS) to disconnect the community from the power grid, for safety reasons.

The NADMO official said that the absence of a sea defence groin along the stretch from Agavedzi to Aflao had left the coastal area bare and vulnerable to the ravages of the sea.

“This is unlike the stretch from Keta to Agavedzi which has a sea defence wall protecting it,” he added.

Mr Agbogba stated that the present tidal invasion of Agavedzi-Sarakope could be linked to the climate change phenomenon.

“Massive layers of ice at the North and South Poles are melting into the sea which in turn pounds unprotected coastal belts,” he explained.

According to Mr Agbogba, NADMO had so far supplied the victims with mattresses, plastic buckets and plates.

He gave the assurance that the NADMO headquarters in Accra would soon provide further assistance to the displaced.

For now, he said that the police were providing security in the area.