Residents of Olebu Ablekuma in the Ga Central Municipality of the Greater Accra Region are counting the cost of widespread flooding after hours of heavy rainfall left homes submerged, properties destroyed, and several families forced to spend the night outside their homes.

The downpour, which began on Sunday and lasted for 48 hours, inundated large sections of the community, with floodwaters rising to waist level in some homes.

The flooding compelled many families to seek shelter elsewhere, with some staying with relatives and friends in safer areas, while others were forced to rent guest houses after their homes became uninhabitable.

When Myjoyonline visited the community on Tuesday morning, floodwaters had receded considerably, revealing the scale of destruction left behind.

Residents were seen bailing water out of their homes with buckets, salvaging whatever belongings they could recover.

However, many said most of their possessions had either been washed away by the flood or damaged beyond repair.

Mattresses, furniture, clothing, electrical appliances and other household items were among the property destroyed by the floodwaters.

The flooding also disrupted children's education, as several parents said their children could not report to school because their uniforms, books and other learning materials had been soaked and destroyed.

One resident, whose home was among those badly affected, said the water had completely submerged his house during the night.

He explained that although the situation appeared less severe on Tuesday morning, it was only because the floodwaters had receded.

"The water covered almost everything in the house. I just took a water pump from a friend to pump the water out of my bedroom. What you are seeing now is much better than what happened last night because the water has gone down," he said.

Several residents admitted that part of Olebu has long been prone to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. However, they stressed that although roads and open spaces usually become waterlogged, floodwaters had never before entered their homes on such a scale.

According to them, the intensity of Monday night's rainfall made the situation far worse than anything they had previously experienced.

Residents blamed the recurring flooding on the absence of proper drainage infrastructure within the community.

They said the area lacks adequate gutters to channel storm water, while the community's main drain has not been desilted for a long period, reducing its capacity to carry large volumes of water during heavy rains.

They believe these challenges contributed significantly to the flooding and the extensive damage recorded.

The affected residents are now appealing to government and the relevant authorities to urgently intervene by constructing proper drainage systems and desilting the main drain to prevent future flooding.

They say without immediate action, many families will continue to suffer devastating losses whenever there is heavy rainfall.