Continuous rains in Sekondi-Takoradi have sent authorities and students of Opportunities Industrialization Centre, a Vocational/Technical institute in Takoradi into a state of mourning.The students are in tears because the floods caused severe damage to the school’s equipment and documents with few days to examinations.Sadly, the school floods annually, and this has continued for the past twenty years.Authorities feel the centre has been neglected by successive governments. The school which is located close to the Sekondi road, is situated among some industries and residential buildings, which have very poor and smaller drainage systems, forcing the flow of water into the school.Successive governments have in the past made promises to construct larger and better drainage systems to rectify the problem, but that is yet to see the light of day.The Government institution which is under-funded, yearly spends some of its meager internally generated funds to buy new machines and re-fix others destroyed by the floods.When Maxx News visited the premises after Thursday’s downpour, the entire compound and classrooms were heavily flooded. Sewing machines, typewriters, photocopiers, office computers, official documents and students’ records were floating in the water.The school’s three vehicles were also stuck in the floods but they managed to pull two of them out. In the midst of the storm however, they salvaged something very vital. Their computer lab was not affected because they had raised the desks in anticipation of the floods. They are however anxious because the next severe rains could sweep everything.Teachers and students were in the flood busily trying to salvage the remaining items. Acting Head of the Centre, John Kingsley Dadzie was unwilling to speak to Maxx News because he is yet to see any results from such interviews in the last two decades. Appearing very sad however, he opted to share his frustrations with Maxx News.“Every year the centre floods, we have made a lot of complains to the authorities and it looks as if they are not caring for us. So in fact, I feel very reluctant to even grant you this interview because we have done this several times but nobody is responding to the interviews. When it becomes likes it, our enrolment reduces because nobody wants to bring their ward to a school that floods every now and then. Our cars are stuck in the water; the typewriters are filled with water, our photocopiers and all that. In the offices, the flood is at the knee level and our main office computer is destroyed. This is beyond the capability of OIC unless the Government comes in; we don’t know what will happen next. I am very sad today” he noted.He said the school recently spent five thousand cedis to construct its own drainage system ahead of the rains, but the devastating floods have damaged it.Some teachers and students also spoke passionately about the situation to Maxx News.“I am coming to do an examination so I came to see if I could get some of the things from the water. I feel very sad and embarrassed particularly when people talk about the school’s situation and point fingers at us” a male student from Accra lamented.“We suffer so much. We will be having practical exam and now we have lost all our project work. We need the help of the president or anyone who can help us” a female student said.