Devastating Ghana Floods: Catholic Relief Services Warns of Disease, "long-term" Hunger

The press release stated that the “current level of assistance from the government and other partners has been insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs of the affected population.” Those needs include “food, shelter, clothing, and safe drinking water.”

Devastating flooding occurred in October 2023 when the Akosombo and Kpong dams were subject to a controlled spillage that caused a devastating flood in Lake Volta in the southeastern part of Ghana. Credit: IAWGE (Inter-Agency Working Group on Emergency)

Some displaced residents “have found shelter in ‘safe havens,’ established by the government in schools and churches in the districts of Central Tongu and North Tongu,” CRS said. Mumuni said these havens were offering victims of the floods “some relief.”

“But the longer families are removed from their homes, the longer their children are missing school, and the larger the impact gets on their lives,” he pointed out. 

The flooding has disrupted “water and power supplies, health services, and education,” CRS said. Further risks were present from “waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid.”

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“Access to the more than 80 flooded communities has been difficult, as many roads have been submerged or destroyed by the floods,” CRS said. “Boats are currently the only means of transportation for rescue and emergency aid.”

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on Nov. 14, 2023, issued warnings of a potential humanitarian crisis in Ghana after a devastating flood in the southeastern part of the country. Credit: IAWGE (Inter-Agency Working Group on Emergency)

Mumuni said response teams “have just concluded a rapid assessment of the situation together with the local diocese and other stakeholders” and that though the spillage has stopped and the floodwaters were gradually receding, “it is still difficult to reach people.”

“The situation is critical,” Mumuni said. “We need more support to reach the most vulnerable people and prevent any outbreak of disease.”

Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.