The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has expressed its solidarity with the people and Government of Ghana over extensive flooding which has claimed a number of lives and caused widespread catastrophic damage.
Speaking from Saint Lucia, the Director General of the OECS Dr. Didacus Jules expressed his profound sorrow for the loss of life and urged the international community to render all assistance necessary to ensure a rapid return to normality: “The Capital of Ghana, Accra has been particularly hard hit with torrential downpours leaving much of the city underwater leading to a number of alarming incidences.
“Regrettably, this tragedy is a timely reminder that contributing factors such as climate change are upon us, and often affect the most vulnerable and voiceless in society. Much of the Caribbean, like much of Africa, is flood prone and we are reminded of more recent tragic events such as Tropical Storm Erika which ravaged parts of Dominica.
“In the wake of other global events, I would urge the international community and the media to continue to stress to the world, the often forgotten plight of our brothers and sisters in drought and flood affected Africa. We stand ready to share with Ghana our extensive lessons learnt and are encouraged by inexpensive but effective technologies such as community text messages which can rapidly alert those residing in vulnerable areas of an impending flood or other natural occurrence.”
Dr. Jules noted that as Ghana rebuilds one must be mindful of those often forgotten corners of the globe that more than ever need a holistic international response to future proof them from similar tragedies.
