Coping strategies of households affected by flooding: A case study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana

Abstract

Annually, rivers close to communities within Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis overflow their banks, especially during the rainy seasons; displacing thousands of residents. Despite this, little is known about the coping strategies used by the residents when flooding occurs. Using mixed method, this article examines the coping strategies employed by households within three communities at risk. Two hundred and seven heads of households residing in Eshiem, Kansawurodo and Whindo were systematically selected to fill in questionnaires, while six key informants comprising chiefs and representatives of flood management institutions were chosen for in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that the commonest coping strategies adopted by residents in all the communities were: temporary vacation of homes, transfer of relevant properties to neighbors and building of flood steps. However, the coping strategies employed by the residents varied by communities, although the majority of them resorted to self-sustaining mechanisms in restoring their losses.

Causes, impacts and coping strategies of floods in Ghana: a systematic review

“…The results show three coping strategies used by residents, namely reactive, preventive and recovery, for instance, [53]. In terms of reactive, nine studies demonstrated that flood victims relocate to a safe place and protect their valuables and collectables, for instance [7,40].…”

“…Regarding the preventive measures, majority of the studies (8) mentioned that people construct drainage to make easy flow of stock water, for instance, [72,73] and six mentioned that people repair, rebuild their house and protect from further damage, for instance, [73]. Finally, three studies mentioned flood victims seek Government, friends and family support for relief items and cash, for instance, [53] and five studies reported community clean-up such as disposal of wastes and clearing of gutters, for instance [53].…”

“…This has implication for real estate developers and homeowners to understand community and individual impact of flood and re-thinking of sustainable urban land use policy and development. Human activities such as throwing rubbish into river bodies can cause flood during the raining season [28,46,53]. Similarly, half of the residents dispose of waste into gutters, streets and bushes causing health problem [77].…”

“…For example the development of low impact development (LID) techniques [83,84], resilient housing [85] and the use of floodplain and wetland green infrastructure [15] for flood risk reduction. It is worth mentioning that some of the coping strategies are costly and sometimes ineffective [53]. There is the need to integrate and engage indigenous coping strategies into flood planning process and recovery as well as socially vulnerable populations in addressing flood issues in the country.…”

Sociocultural factors and perceptions associated with voluntary and permanent relocation of flood victims: A case study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana

“…Here, the constitution clearly recognises the need to devise appropriate and urgent solutions to protect humanity and the environment (Danso & Addo 2016 ; Graphic Online 2014 ). These factors draw attention to the need to find durable solutions to the flooding incidents in the communities and beyond.…”