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Last week Wednesday’s floods that brought untold calamity and pain has made many residents of Accra begin to fear even dark clouds.

Some residents of the sleepless city have developed ombrophobia — the fear of rain — to the extent that they told the Daily Graphic that the sign of clouds increased their blood pressure or body temperature.
With the city still limping from the effects of the June 3 disaster which killed 152 people, its residents feel restless about another rain, especially when the challenges confronting the drainage system that caused the flood are yet to be addressed.

High temperature and blood pressure
Although Ernest Quaye, a resident of Adabraka, was smiling when he told the Daily Graphic about his unease whenever clouds gathered after the June 3 disaster, he said, “I am not joking. My body temperature goes up when I see the clouds.”

“If we don’t take care, people will develop hypertension this rainy season. The earlier we find a solution to the floods, the better,” he added.

In a country where weather reports hardly receive attention from the public, it appears last Wednesday’s twin disaster is increasing interest in weather reports.

“These days, I listen to the weather report every morning before I leave home. I don’t want to be caught unawares in these dangerous times,” Michael Ofosuware, a cobbler at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle told the Daily Graphic.

It was Thursday morning at Odawna, the auto mechanic hub of Accra. Ordinarily, that place should be a bustling hive of activities, but the atmosphere was eerie. Barely a handful of people were on the streets, with most businesses closed. The few spare parts shops that remained open seemed to have lost the energy to even call clients.

For Kwame Asiedu, a mechanic, the mere thought of even rain showers on his home was traumatic. June 3 and its horrid tales of destruction were still fresh in his mind.

“The rain entered my house. It was only my neck that was visible. It took a lot of force to break the door and get out of the room. I could not even turn the lock. I don’t know where I got the extra energy from,” he recalled.

Nightmares behind Goil Filling Station
Ms Joan Ackon lived in one of the many houses behind the Goil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle where the twin disaster happened.

According to her, she relived the disaster almost every day.
“I still see images of burning flesh in my sleep. It was a traumatic experience. I wish it would never rain here again. Even showers put fear in me. It is tough.”

Joan’s neighbour, Niibi Ayibonte, said ever since the incident happened, he had had nightmares.
“When I wake up around 3 a.m., I’m not able to sleep again,” he said.

Nana Yaw Tenkorang shared a similar ordeal, saying, “It is difficult to concentrate at work when I hear it will rain again. I think I would have to see a psychologist. When you see dead bodies floating on water, the last thing you want to see again is rain.”

We are not afraid

Admittedly, it is not everybody who is afraid of the rain.
Albert and John Acquaye, two brothers who live at Adabraka Sahara, told harrowing tales of how their rooms were inundated last Wednesday, for which reason they found the street much safer.

But they insisted that although the Ghana Meteorological Agency was predicting doom, as far as rainfall this year was concerned, they were not afraid.

Albert Acquaye, alias Ashagari, a pensioner who worked with the Graphic Communications Group Limited for more than 30 years, said he was not afraid of the rain because he survived the 1995 flood and had a very strong faith in God.

According to him, a storm drain behind his house overflowed its banks and the water rushed into the house around 8.50 p.m., submerging everything in his room.

“We all run out of the house. The whole place was like a huge pool because the water level was so high,” he said, pointing to the marks on the walls left by the flood in the six-room compound house.

“I have to buy a new mattress. My sound system, DVD and TV have been damaged but once there is life, there is hope,” he added.
Portia Mamavi Goh, a student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, was among the hundreds of people who were at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle but some metres away from the explosion that took 152 lives.

“Fortunately for me, I wasn't part of the people who sought refuge at the GOIL Filling Station. What I experienced still remains vivid in my mind. The wailing and weeping of the women, especially those who had children at their backs, the cars and other valuables being washed away by the rain and the people who used that as an opportunity to steal.

“Anytime I remember last Wednesday, I shed tears. Lately, when I see the clouds forming, I get scared, more especially when I am in town. I am scared that what happened last Wednesday may happen again. All I do is to pray to God that even if it rains, it should not lead to any fire outbreak or loss of human lives and properties,” she added.

Although Mildred Tawiah, an intern with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, was far away from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle disaster, she had her own nightmare in the flood from the Ako Adjei Interchange to Dzorwulu and had to return to the ministry at 2 a.m. because there was no way back home.

“I thank God I am alive. I really feel sorry for all those who were affected. Whenever I see the clouds gather, I pray that God should not allow last week’s wahala to happen again. It was scary; very scary. I’m afraid for all those who live on the streets and have no home to go to,” she said.

No shelter under fuel stations when it’s raining

Besides the fear of the rains, many residents also say they will not seek shelter at any fuel station when it rains because of the fear of explosion.

According to them, the events of June 3 were still fresh in their minds.

“I will not take cover at any fuel station because someone who has been bitten by a snake before fears a worm when he or she sees one,” Theophilus L. Koomson wrote on the Daily Graphic Facebook wall.

“I'd prefer to walk in the rain because those problems (building on watercourses) that caused last week’s disaster still exist and can lead to similar occurrences. I panic when I see the clouds because we never know when the rains will come again, as the problems that precipitated the disaster have not been tackled yet,” Deme-Der Simon also wrote.

Peter Ntow Ayisi, however, had a contrary opinion: “There is nothing wrong with taking cover at a fuel station when it is raining. The only thing is that we should be more careful, especially when there is a fuel tanker offloading fuel at the station.”