WHATS THE DIFFERENCE? ACCRA FLOODS AND TEXAS FLOODS

The US President signed a disaster declaration late on Friday 29 May 2015 for areas in Texas hit by floods and severe weather that has killed over 20 people in the state, with several still missing.

Rescue and emergency teams found the bodies of 4 more victims yesterday. Latest reports say that 11 people are still missing. In Texas alone, 24 people have died in floods this month. Four people also died in floods that hit Oklahoma.
More heavy rain fell yesterday, Friday 29 May 2015, with Dallas the worst hit. Some areas saw up to seven inches (17.8 cm) of rain fall in 24 hours. Thousands of drivers were trapped for 5 or 6 hours on a suburban freeway blocked by floods. Emergency crews found the body of a man who drowned in his vehicles after it was swept away by flood water in Mesquite.
The rain has fallen non-stop in parts of Texas since early May. It has inundated a state that until recently was suffering a severe drought. State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon yesterday said that May 2015 has been the wettest month on record for Texas.
Such prolonged heavy rainfall has left river levels extremely high, and the Colorado River in Wharton and the Brazos and San Jacinto rivers in the Houston area are of particular concern.

 The flooding helped cause the fire, the Ghana fire service

Some 150 people have died in a fire at a petrol station in Ghana's capital, Accra, officials say.

The fire on Wednesday night started as people in the city were trying to cope with two days of heavy rain, which has left many homeless and without power.
The flooding hampered rescue efforts and may have led to the fire, the BBC's Sammy Darko reports from Accra.
President John Dramani Mahama has announced three days of national mourning to begin on Monday.
It is thought that people were in the petrol station sheltering from the downpours when the fire broke out, our correspondent says.
A further 25 people have died in the floods, officials say.
President Mahama visited the burnt-out petrol station and described the deaths as "catastrophic" and "almost unprecedented".
He vowed to take tough measures to stop people building on waterways, which appeared to have been a factor in the disaster.
"I think that the time has come for us to remove houses out of water and the public should understand that it is necessary to save everybody else," he said.
The flooding helped cause the fire, the Ghana fire service said.
The waters "caused the diesel and petrol to flow away from the gas station, and fire from a nearby house led to the explosion", spokesman Billy Anaglate said, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Following an emergency meeting of cabinet and security chiefs on how to tackle flooding, the government says it will release £9m ($14m) to help flood victims.
Schools were closed across the capital and children asked to stay at home.

Disaster Declaration

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Texas and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding during the period beginning 04 May 2015 and continuing.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Harris, Hays, and Van Zandt counties.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding in Cooke, Gaines, Grimes, Harris, Hays, Navarro, and Van Zandt counties.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA FREE (3362)  

On the scene - Sammy Darko, BBC Africa, Accra

Two days of heavy rain has brought much of the city to its knees.
There are chaotic scenes with cars being carried away by the water and many roads blocked off.
Hundreds have been trapped in their offices and some have been forced to spend the night in their cars as traffic came to a standstill.
Parts of Accra have been left without power as electricity sub-stations have been damaged in the flooding, which is making the ongoing energy shortages even worse.


Many homes have been flooded and people have been wandering around in their nightclothes after being forced to leave their beds.
One man told a local radio station that he had put his children on top of a wardrobe to save them from the water coming into his house.
Weather forecasters are saying that more rain is on its way.