By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Sunday, the 28th August 2022 was indeed a sad day for residents of Freetown as nature seemed to vent her anger for all the destruction caused to her by mortals as it was manifested on that day as torrential rain pounded heavily leaving in its trail deaths and destruction.
Fatalities occurred when a mudslide destroyed two adjacent homes in an informal settlement in Looking Town, situated on a steep slope in the hills above the neighbourhood of Kissy.
The Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, visited areas affected by the heavy rains. “My heart goes out to the families of the six people who died in the mudslide at Looking Town today,” she lamented.
According to the Mayor, like many other informal settlements, there is no road to the community as it is accessed via a 15 minutes walk along a narrow footpath.
“As I spoke with survivors and neighbours, I could clearly see a huge boulder positioned precariously above the community. A poignant reminder of the risk of disaster this community lives with daily,” Aki-Sawyerr narrated.
In a statement issued on the 29 August 2022, President Julius Maada Bio described the situation as alarming and offered his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
The heavy rain impacted other areas of the city, including Kaningo and Tengbeh Town. Most of the major roads in Freetown were transformed to heavy flowing rivers after several hours of rainfall, posing serious threats to life and property. Many residents evacuated due to the threat of landslides and flooding.
It was the second spate of heavy rain in Freetown in the last 2 weeks. Areas of the city including Culvert and Kroo Bay were flooded after a heavy downpour on 17 August, 2022.
“The heavy downpours experienced this August points to the impact and consequence of global warming and climate change. But years of poor urban planning and mismanagement of the city’s resources are an enormous contributor to flooding across Freetown,” the President added.
