A natural hazard is a natural process and event that is a potential threat to human life and property.  The process and the events themselves are not a hazard but become so because of human use of the land.  (Keller/DeVecchio, 5).  In that regard on can say that the hazards affect millions of people around the world in the form of earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.  Each country with its own specific hazard, that is the deal pretty much.  As far as my beloved country Ghana is concerned, floods is one of the main hazards the country consistently deals with.  It is an unfortunate situation many Ghanaians are tired of and desire vehemently to see a change. Thus the choice of my topic in this assignment.  To refresh your memory a bit, Ghana or Gold Coast as it was called in the past is a beautiful country situated on the West Coast of Africa.  It is surrounded by attractive beaches that lure tourists in all year round and share borders with Togo, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and La Cote D'Ivoire.  Ye
       The cause of natural disasters and hazards in Ghana has been mainly from water through flooding or stormy rain.  Each consecutive year, floods occur in Accra, the capital city or in the surrounding regions as well and they predominantly affect the urban poor.  What is the root cause of this hazard taking place annually?  Well, some critics have put the blame on climate change the globe itself has quite often been experiencing, global warming as they would call it.  In fact some studies have linked the issues of floods to climate change and variability indicating direct correlation and causality.  In this instance, one can predict that several forms of floods and other natural disasters can be prominent in the near future as the article suggests.  But the consequence of the floods is aggravated by poor development planning of the residential areas and inadequate or lack of information on the early signs.
     In the past two decades, Accra has seen a huge and increasing development bringing many constructions going on in the area.  Houses, tall buildings, and so one emerged as the economy was booming at a fast rate.  Nevertheless, the drainage system that will convey out the surplus of water was overlooked.  Therefore when there is severe heavy rain especially in the monsoon season, streets are flooded with water and the less homes of the less fortunate are inundated.  From 2006 to 2012, the country was hit by severe flooding; but the deadliest was the one in 2015 that has taken approximately the lives of a total of 300 people. Two hundred and a quarter were reported dying in the fire that was ignited at the Shell gas station due to gas being mixed with water  Long and behold the gas station has exploded, causing a fire outbreak.  It was said that when the water was rising up,many sought refuge at the gas station waiting for rain to subside.  However, that refuge turned out to be hell instead especially for those who did not know how to swim.  Those who apparently knew how to swim escaped with third-degree burns.  It was a deplorable situation that has left the citizens of the country very perplexed and revolted against the corrupted government.  Below, you could see the severity of the event afterwards depicted in the picture 1.  The other picture shows the station before the explosion.

   One particular incident that left me speechless was the body of a mother clinging onto her child.  That cut right through my heart. The second picture shows those who by providence survived with severe burns but at least made it.

   Indeed these pictures are very graphic, yet they do paint the painful event the Ghanaians went through just last year.  Who could ever forget this fatal day?  At least not me.  This tragedy could have been avoided if the overflow of the water caused by the heavy rain (of few hours) was directed back to the rivers or sea.  As you clearly see in the last picture, water was stuck in the middle of the city engulfing many cars and infrastructures.  And the few gutters that are there to drain are carelessly filled with garbage, which in turn block the flow of water.  Apart from those who perish in the fire, 28 drowned inside their homes or shops fault of  not knowing how to swim.
    As resolutions, I would advice the government first of all to develop a better drainage system in the urban area in order to accommodate the growth of the city.  Secondly, I will recommend that the government takes it seriously to forcefully evacuate the citizens out of the public areas in the event of extreme weather alert.  Some people just don't take warning too seriously especially when previous warnings have not come to past.  They wait until they see it with their own eyes before they take action and by that time, it is already too late.   That is when education also comes into play: educating the people about what to do before, during, and after of any natural hazard.  And the last thing I would do is to make sure that there were many garbage disposal placed at various junctions of the streets of Accra in order to prevent littering, which in turn can reduce gutters being filled with trash.
I would start these implementations in the capital city (where I would want to live and built also my house) because this tragedy has negatively impacted the economy of the country.
      Natural hazards are events human beings cannot prevent at times; but with thoughtful preparation ahead of time, a country can minimize their dangerous effects.  And if Ghana takes to implement those measures, there is  hope, safety, and a brighter future for GHANA!!!!!


Works Cited
http://www.zef.de/fileadmin/downloads/forum/docprog/Termpapers/2012_2_Gilgenbach_Okyere_Yacouba.pdf

Courtesy pictures taken out of this website:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images? p=pictures+of+the+fire+of+the+gas+station+in+ghana&fr=yfp-

Keller, DeVecchio, Natural Hazards. Pearson, 2015.

                                                         

TIDAL WAVES AND EROSION IN GHANA

      The beautiful country of Ghana is located on the West Coast of Africa.  All along the coast are gorgeous beaches that attract many tourists all year long except during the monsoon season which occasionally happen.  However, the coastline of Ghana has been altered due to the changes in the natural environment.  As the article (see Works Cited),"such changes reflect influences such as movement of the earth crust, and variation in sea level and climate". In addition, as we learned from the textbook Natural Hazards, human beings and engineering infrastructures also contribute to the change in the coastal shoreline.  Therefore it is not surprising to notice that the coastal environment with such modifications start to lose its 'natural beauty' as I will refer to it.  

       According to Graphic Online, a popular news report, in the months of April and September 2016, extreme tidal waves along the coast of Ghana did tremendous damage to private and public infrastructure.  The news also reported that the storms passed through the coast destroying homes, fishing boats, outbo

ard motors, fishing nets, and other equipment of fishermen.  After these incidents, the news reported that politicians rushed to the aid of those affected by the hazards. However residents in the coastal shoreline who are mainly fishermen want to see concrete and appropriate measures put in place as prevention instead of waiting til these events cause substantial damage.  In the year of 2014 as a result of high tidal waves, one community was completely wiped out.  The waves came and washed away all the houses.  Only one victim, a woman was reported to have drowned in her bed at night.  Therefore with another hazard occurring in 2016 has caused a huge concern among those living along the coast.

        Upon these concerns, there are ongoing talks on the table in the government about mitigation and coping strategies before, during, and afterwards.  One of the measures proposed is to build a sea defence wall to block the waves from "swallowing the communities and infrastructures around.  Such measure, though admirable was only built around high value estate and not around all the places especially the communities that needed the most.  Another drawback of the defence wall was the fact that it has led to the loss of fishing livelihoods, making fishermen resent the idea of it.  The second proposed measure was the possibility of relocation, which the majority of the communities are not keen about.  To the communities who rely on fishing as their profession, relocation is not an option at all.  The third and last proposed was Soft Engineering.  You may wonder what this big name symbolize?  Well, no to worry, it simply means a "deliberate policy for communities to leave a reasonable distance between the seafront and the settlement development or any public infrastructure". (Graphic Online).  Thus the procedure will involve planting trees, and other vegetation, and nourishing the beach.  

         Of all the proposed measures, only the soft engineering has been consistently appropriated so far.  The other two have met opposition from the communities living on the coast.  While the debate is still lingering around the discussion table, the elders of the communities have formed a solid coalition to help each other during those crises.  In their homes, they have to mount up their beds higher above the ground and most structures are secured with tight ropes. 

           Coastal hazards in the regions of Ghana have affected not only the livelihood of communities of fishermen; but also the attraction of tourists in the area.  While the government is trying to figure out ways to reduce or even stop such events, educating the population and putting in place organisations that will alert the residents in time of any impeding danger is an ongoing process.  This alertness and disaster preparedness will give sufficient time for the residents to move their boats and evacuate the coast as soon as possible in order to save lives.

Works Cited 

http://www.graphic.com.gh/features/opinion/ghana-s-coast-hazards-planning-management-disaster-response.html

http://www.jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/viewFile/40/40

          

                                                                                                                                                            HARMATTAN : Extreme Weather in Ghana!!!

  Ghana, the beautiful country on the West Coast of Africa has a tropical climate.  Out of the 365 days of the year, it is mostly hot and dry.   Besides the hot temperature and humidity, the country experiences also rainy seasons, which if they last quite long can cause flooding.  And I have addressed the topic of flooding in my previous blog.  Another extreme weather that I have not mentioned about Ghana yet is Harmattan.  You probably never heard of this word.  Well, guess what?  That is my assignment to enlighten you.  Harmattan is an extreme weather that takes place on the West Coast of Africa around December through late February/early March.  It is a dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara.  Most of the times, people are happy about the change Harmattan brings with it.  Well, it dims the heat and provides a much cooler breeze.  Nevertheless, it can be rusty at times when it looks like the whole country is enveloped in fog that we see here on the Bay in the morning.  The only difference is that it is not fog but the dust the wind brings from the desert and affects the northern region of the country more than the city.   With this type, you must have a serious lip balm with you at all times or your lips will be chapped and could easily bleed; you also will need a nasal decongestant since it is so dry and finally a moisturizing lotion.  The locals always recommend Shea butter to relieve the dryness in the air.  Personally, I prefer the sunny, humid weather than Harmattan even though the latter is cooler.  But as with anything don't just take my word for it.  Feel free to take an adventure in December to see if you are more acclimated to that type of weather.

                                                                        LANDSLIDES: Run for your life


       What is a landslide?  A landslide or a landslip, according to Merriam-Webster, can be defined as" a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill" They result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are driven by the force of gravity.  In addition, they can happen at any time when the slope becomes unstable but mostly are triggered by hazardous events such earthquakes, erosion, groundwater, volcano eruptions.  Moreover they can be aggravated by human activity like deforestation, construction, and vibrations from machinery.
        In Ghana, there have been quite a few devastating landslides caused by different hazards, but mostly by flooding (groundwater pressure acting to destabilize the slope).  It is just a matter of heavy rains falling on the city for hours especially during the rain season to hastily precipitate the movement of rocks and debris downward. And heaven forbid if the slope is relatively close to the populated areas, which can cause severe loss of human lives.  On that note, there has been news (Ghana Star News) of a recent aftermath of a landslide that has caused subsequent damage to both lives and infrastructures.  It has been reported that a landslide happened at Koforidua-Aboabo, a mountainous rural place in Accra preceded by floods in the Eastern region.  The landslide has seen two houses collapsed and the flooding left fifteen houses totally crushed.  According to the News, this is the "second time where the regional capital has been hit with twin disaster: flood and landslide." (Ghana News).  Although there are many types of landslides (falling, sliding, slumping...), this one was said to be carrying rocks, which could be categorized as slumping.  At a distance of 6 kilometers, rocks flew "from the mountains to farms to the community" destroying cocoa farms and food crops.  By providence, no lives were claimed.  The tenants of one of the houses that were nowhere to be recovered had left for church that day.  (You should never miss church then, you never know) and the family of the other house were graciously rescued.  Good news, right?  I might say so myself.  
       In the wake of this incident that has left residents perplexed and devastated, the immediate response was to get everyone to a safer place  So relocation  and assistance have to take place first and foremost. But the Eastern regional committee was meeting at a later date with the geological team for advice for those living on the slopes of the mountains.  As for Koforidua's residents, they were temporarily relocated and provided assistance until further investigation.  The Easter Regional Minister has stopped all project on wetlands and waterways, while drains in the municipality are expected to be dredged as part of short-term measures.  Also presently, engineering redesigning of parts of the community is being considered for long-term goals.
       While no one can predict what nature will do or not, it is always imperative to plan as possible as much as one can.  In this case, education is a major key of the things to do before, during, and after a landslide.  Moreover, building house on mountains slopes must be fervently discouraged and implemented with abiding laws for citizens because we already know that one valid reason of landslide happening is the activity of humans in that area. 



Works Cited:
https://www.ghanastar.com/news/landslide-floods-collapse-17-buildings-in-eastern-region/

                                                                        BAZOOKA VOLCANOES


   Volcanoes, across the globe are the object of  both natural fascination and fear.  They are believed to give and take life simultaneously.  They give life in the sense that they generate fertile soil; yet they do destroy any land in their way too.  For that reason, "some say volcanoes are the cradle of life on earth" (AFK Insider, Africa news).  However what are exactly volcanoes and how do they evolve?   According to WeatherWizKids, (as simple it is in the eyes of a child) " A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments. Eruptions can cause lateral blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, falling ash and floods. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, mudflows and rockfalls." 

  There are three types of volcanoes: active, dormant and extinct.  In that saying, there are hundreds of volcanoes on the continent of Africa; yet most of them have been dormant.  The very few which have erupted in the past centuries have solely consisted of lava and ash.  In this instance, there has not been any solid evidence of one in Ghana or its vicinity.  Nevertheless, there has been one eruption in Cape Verde in 2014; another country on the West Coast of Africa.  It was referred to as "Pico de Fogo." and it even destroyed houses (one in particular you must watch in the video).  I find the video quite interesting and informative, although sad to watch a complete house destroyed in minutes.  Exactly on November 23 of 2014, according to the source of Earth Scope, Pico de fogo volcano "erupted on the Cape Verde island of Fogo." (Earth Scope).  

                                  

The government reacted quickly by evacuating residents from the area.  Local businesses and airports have been shut down indefinitely.  Thanks to the rapid intervention of the agencies in place, except for shattered or lost buildings, loss of lives was not mentioned.  Neat, right; well that is exactly what I say.  Even though money is lost and people's memories vanished in the blink of an eye, lives that can never be replaced were spared and that too me is Good News.  It is quite commendable that there was readiness to inform and measures set aside to evacuate as soon as possible.  Still more digital infrastructures are being discussed in the hope to understand more of these events and implement solutions consequently.

                                  

                                    People must be well taught to save themselves instead of their belongings.  As my beloved dad will always say: " as long as you have breath, you have hope to start over."  
Ps: Please make sure to watch the short videos to have an idea of what I am talking about.  

Works Cited

http://afkinsider.com/81492/12-recently-active-volcanoes-africa/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPfm4u0Tofo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAURcQr6LA4

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-volcano.htm

                                                               Earthquakes in GHANA

Showing the subveritical sinistral strike-slip Accra Coastal Boundary fault at Kokrobite.

Showing Google Earth satellite image of the Study Area in southern Ghana (West Africa), the mid-Atlantic Ridge and its transform faults and fracture systems, including St. Paul’s (P), Romanche (R) and Chain (C) transform faults and fracture zones (Modified after Source

    "Earthquakes occur along a plane of weakness in Earth's crust known as a fault, which is common along plate boundaries.  When a fault ruptures, rocks break apart suddenly and violently, releasing stored elastic strain energy in the form of seismic waves.  It is the strong motion from seismic waves as they pass through the ground beneath our feet that we perceive as an earthquake"(Keller/DeVecchio 59). Yet according to Geological Survey Department of Accra, Ghana being  located on the southeastern margin of the West Africa craton  is far away from the major earthquake zones that mark the present day lithospheric plate boundaries.  But does that mean that the country has been earthquake free?  Not according to geologists.  History records that Ghana has experienced some minor and major earthquakes.  Among them was the one that was intensively felt in 1939, which cause a tremendous amount of destruction: seventeen people were dead, 133 were injured and close to million pounds (currency in Ghana are called Cedi) in damages of infrastructures. Such an earthquake of a magnitude of 6.5 that was felt even in the surrounding countries like Benin and Togo.      From that time on many tremors have been felt in the country especially in Accra, the capital and its vicinity.  Recently in 2014, particularly in the month of July, citizens acknowledged an earth tremor with a high magnitude lasting 6 seconds that occurred in the capital city around the evening.  Although there was no such damage left behind, the Minister of Environment cautioned the population by saying:" that even though the situation may not be frightening currently, the magnitude could increase and cause major destruction to life and properties in earthquake prone zones.".  If for centuries now Ghana has been known to be seismically active, what measures have been taken in order to minimize its impact on the population?

    It is known for a fact that "Instrumental recording of earthquakes in Ghana began in 1914 when the colonial government installed a Milne’s single-boom seismograph in the country. It operated until 1933 when it ceased recording (Banson, 1970) due to financial constraints" (Anal of Geophysics).  With that in place several tremors were detected before they even turn into a catastrophe for the nation.  According to the author of the article in Anals of Geophysics,  In March 1973, a seismograph observatory equipped with a WorldWide Standard Seismograph Network (WWSSN) system was established at Kukurantumi in Eastern Ghana. It operated continuously until October 1974 and then intermittently until continuous recording began again in 1977 (Quaah, 1980).   Great news for the country came in 2015 when the government of Ghana announced that he has established a National Digital Seismic Network Observatory in Ghana with the purpose of detecting and monitoring earthquakes before they turn into a catastrophe since the country has been subjected to quite a many tremors on and off in the last decade.  In doing so, the citizens can be alerted efficiently prior to the shaking of the ground.  As we learn in the previous chapter, when the population is kept informed in the proper way, there is minimum loss of life.   In addition, an awareness program on earthquakes was begun four years ago to sensitize the public about the dangers of earthquakes and what they have to do before, during, and after the disaster.  Not only that, old buildings must be reevaluated and the construction of new infrastructures must adhere to building regulations of the country.

     Knowledge is power and I believe with much information, preparedness, Ghanaains may not be exempted from an earthquake; yet at least there will be less damage if there happens to be one.  Personally, I pray that day never comes by the grace of God because I love this country!!!

Works Cited

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10950-015-9486-z

http://file.scirp.org/Html/2-2800611_41164.htm

http://citifmonline.com/2014/07/25/earth-tremor-hits-parts-of-accra/

Keller, DeVecchio, Natural Hazards. Pearson 2015.

                                                           PLATE TECTONICS


   The term "plate tectonics" sounds too sophisticated and new for someone like me until I took this class.  Oh yeah, I know about earthquakes, volcanoes, flooding and all the other natural disasters around the globe.  Yet in order to thoroughly comprehend why some of these events happen in one area than the other, one must take into consideration plate tectonics.  Such importance is accentuated by the textbook when it states that "Everything living on Earth is affected by plate tectonics. As the plates slowly move a few centimeters each year, so do the continents and ocean basins, producing zones of resources (oil, gas, and minerals), as well as earthquakes and volcanoes"  (Keller/DeVecchio, p.48).
  Now there are three distinct plate boundaries that the textbook mentions of:

• divergent (move away from each other)
• convergent (move towards each other)
• transform (plates slide past each other)

  What category does lovely Ghana fall into then?  Well, the country belongs to the African plate, which according to the WikipediA, "is a major tectonic plate straddling the equator as well as the prime meridian. It includes much of the continent Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges."  It further adds that "The western edge of the African Plate is a divergent boundary with the North American Plate to the north and the South American Plate to the south which forms the central and southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge." From that perspective we now understand that Ghana is on a divergent boundary and at "divergent plate boundaries, such as along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the dominant hazards are earthquakes and volcanic eruption." (Keller/DeVecchio p.48)  See that the picture above depicts all the earthquake risk zones in the southern part of Ghana.  Now, that is quite a lot and something new I just discovered.  

    That is it for today.  Off to my next adventure in the Earth realm.  Until then, do not be alarmed of anything; but be more aware of your surrounding.  Aurevoir!

Works Cited

Keller, Edward A. & DeVecchio, Duane E.. Natural Hazards: Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes, Third Edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Plate