The Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, on Friday paid a visit to Ghana to commiserate with President John Mahama following the June 29 flood disaster.

It hit seven regions, including the Greater Accra Region, where 12 lives were lost, and seven are still missing.

President Bio was also in Accra to hold consultations with President Mahama ahead of the ECOWAS Summit.

President Mahama warmly welcomed President Bio as a brother, a fellow African and a member of their wider family, and deeply appreciated his message of sympathy and support.

He said President Bio had come to commiserate with Ghanaians on the loss of lives and the displacement of many people as a result of the heavy downpour they experienced earlier this week.

He noted that Accra and parts of the coastal regions were severely inundated by a heavy rainstorm that affected not only Ghana but also several countries, stretching from Gabon through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana to the Ivory Coast.

He noted that the downpour was exceptionally heavy, resulting in widespread flooding that displaced thousands of people.

President Mahama said their preliminary assessment indicated that about 48,000 people had been rendered homeless by the floods.

“We have also confirmed 12 fatalities, while seven people remain unaccounted for. Government has directed the Ghana Armed Forces and the Joint Task Force to mobilise immediately to restore normalcy as quickly as possible,” he stated.

President Mahama said the military had already deployed to critical locations to clear waterways, remove debris and clear refuse washed across the city by the floods.

He reiterated that they expected normalcy to be restored within the next week or two.

He announced that the Finance Minister had released funds from the Contingency Fund to support both flood mitigation and flood relief efforts.

President Mahama said accordingly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other partner agencies would soon begin distributing relief items to affected families.

He said these relief items would include blankets, mattresses, tents, towels, and other essential supplies to ease the hardship faced by displaced persons.

President Mahama said the second purpose of President Bio’s visit was to hold consultations ahead of the ECOWAS Summit, to be held in Freetown.

The two leaders used the opportunity to discuss several agenda items, including the security situation within the sub-region and other important matters that would come before the Summit.

President Mahama expressed his sincere appreciation to President Bio for undertaking this visit.

He said it was in keeping with African tradition that when a neighbour or a family member experiences tragedy, others stand with them in solidarity and offer their sympathy.

On his part, President Bio conveyed the sympathies of the Government and People of Sierra Leone and expressed their solidarity with Ghana during this difficult period.