Impact of floods, recovery, and repairs of residential structures in Ghana: insights from homeowners

Abstract

In line with the global effort to build community resilience to flood, there is limited attention to flood recovery and repairs in flood-prone communities in the developing world. Using five flood-prone regions in Ghana as a case study, this study explores the nature of recovery and repairs of flood-damaged residential structures by addressing the following questions: (a) What are the effects of flooding on building elements and the buildings' occupants? (b) What is the nature of damage after flooding? and (c) What are the recovery and repair activities undertaken when buildings are damaged by flooding? Drawing from 241 face-to-face interviews with vulnerable residents, the respondents ranked damages to painting and surface finishes, floor coverings such as carpets, and the floor and walls as the crucial elements of the building fabric mostly affected by floodwaters. The respondents also indicated that financial constraints and disruption of work are severely impacted due to the repair and recovery they had to perform to restore their buildings. The main entry point for floodwaters into buildings is around windows and doors, cracks in the wall, and vents. Cleaning the building, drying the building, and removing damaged content were ranked as the three most important factors in the repair and recovery activities. We propose support schemes to standardise the uptake of floor repairs and recovery including support for an insurance policy for homeowners.