Assessment of the Coping Strategies of Flood Victims in the Builsa District

Abstract

Flooding can pose substantial social and welfare problems that may continue over extended periods of time that include economic stress associated with re-building that arise as people try to recover their lives, property and relationships. This study is focused on identifying community coping strategies in relation to flood and examine the factors influencing the selection of coping strategies as well as the local government policies in relation to flood disaster management. The target population for the study is households affected by flood, who were accidentally selected at household levels. One hundred (100) respondents chosen were interviewed person to person with the use of both structured and semi- structured guides. The study indicated that the largest floods in the area in recent years occurred in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2017. The causes were as a result of heavy rains and when neighbouring Burkina Faso opened a flood gate of the Bagre dam, releasing an enormous amount of water into the White Volta River that flowed into Ghana. During flooding, crops are submerged or washed off and animals drowned; animals like sheep, goats and cattle go days without food and often suffer foot and mouth diseases and die as a result. To cope with the flooding, the victims borrow money and food in order to survive through the flood season and some households traded their assets for money and food, taking children out of school to work, while some sent family members out to live with friends and relatives elsewhere. Pastoral farming has been adopted and the community members also engaged in activities such as sale of firewood or charcoal, income from petty trading usually by women, some travel to work mostly in southern Ghana and send food items home, thatch weaving for local roofing and twine weaving to make income. There should be policies that target the marginalised in society, such as women, children, the elderly, the physically challenged persons and the poor otherwise these groups will remain most vulnerable. Self-help measures to reduce damage to property and stress caused by flooding should also be encouraged.