The flattened 6-story Melcom building at Achimota.
Just imagine walking into your place of work or your usual shopping centre and within a twinkle of an eye, you find yourself trapped under a collapsed six-storey building. I can imagine the apprehension and eerie feeling that would grip your whole being.
You can but only imagine it, yet I can see you, in my mind’s eye, sweating like a pregnant fish. I therefore cannot imagine the tragic and traumatic experience my compatriots went through when they found themselves buried alive under the collapsed Melcom building at Achimota. I could not help but shed tears as I watched my compatriots on television doing everything in their power to rescue victims.
The Melcom disaster, as it has come to be known, has led many to unceremoniously join their ancestors in Samanfoland, while most of those who have survived the nightmarish experience are hanging on to life in various health facilities. A female survivor has described the traumatic episode as a nightmare she would never forget. She says she keeps seeing the lifeless bodies of her dead colleagues and customers under the rubble.
That is understandable, considering the fact that even those of us who were fortunate not to be involved in the disaster are also traumatized. I have unconsciously cultivated the habit of scrutinizing every building I find myself in. I instinctively look up for cracks in buildings to avoid falling victim to a similar fate.
A few days ago, I was in a three-storey building in Osu to buy some groceries. As usual, my ‘konkonsaic’ eyes kept moving up and down looking for cracks. I did spot a crack, not a very big one I must confess. However, with the picture of the crumbled Melcom building still fresh in my mind, I quickly informed one of the attendants and then rushed out of the building.
Fortunately or unfortunately, a few shoppers had eavesdropped on the conversation, so they took a cue from me and also decided to rush out of the building. Massa, the melee that ensued, as about twenty people tried rushing out of the door, is better seen than being told.
I was therefore taken aback when a news item on one of the television stations showed people living in a building full of cracks. The 16-apartment building in Tema-Community 5 was practically begging to be pulled down. But the authorities have turned a blind eye. If they are waiting for the building to crumble on its inhabitants before they take any action, then they should rethink because this country is not ready for another tragedy of that magnitude.
Indeed, the rescue efforts by my compatriots at the Melcom disaster site are very commendable. The tragedy brought out the Asomdwekromanian spirit once again as the Police, the Military, the Ambulance Service, the Fire Service and public-spirited individuals and companies rushed to the scene to give whatever help they could. But one clear difficulty was the fact that the rescue efforts were not well-coordinated.
News of the arrival of the Israeli rescue team was thus very comforting. As expected, their presence did add a touch of professionalism to the rescue efforts.
What fascinated me and most of my compatriots was the 7-year-old petit sniffer dog, Max, said to have saved many lives in Haiti, including a baby. Max’s duty was to go underground in search of victims, living or dead. Whenever Max returned and lay on the ground, it meant a dead person was under the rubble. The number of times Max lay on the ground told the rescuers the number of dead persons in that particular spot of the rubble.
Alternatively, when Max returned from the search and raised the head, it meant he had found a person alive. The number of times he raised his head told the rescuers the number of survivors. Rescuing the survivors was therefore done with precision as they could easily be located. That was professionalism for you!
Regrettably, we were deficient in that wise. Our Military did send some dogs to the site, but they did practically nothing. A friend jokingly said our dogs could not perform as Max did because they could only sniff ‘koobi’ and ‘momoni’.
One lesson the disaster has taught us is that we should go the Israeli way. That is, establish a national emergency service equipped with state-of-the-art rescue equipment, supported by professionals with expertise in rescue operations. I must hasten to add that having a dog of Marx’s calibre in such a service would help in making the body very efficient.
Lest I forget; did you hear the reckless and tactless statement by Zu-za’s Campaign Coordinator last week? He did not only liken Nana’s free SHS policy to a one-legged person, but also said it would collapse like the Melcom building. What an insensitive statement!
The rumpus that greeted the statement sent shivers down his spine. It compelled the Campaign Manager, who is known to be very foul-mouthed, to render an unqualified apology for the indiscretion. Though very refreshing, many doubt if the belated apology could soothe the pain and anguish his crude remarks had caused.
As we ponder over the disaster, we should not forget to pray for the souls of those who have joined their ancestors as a result. We should also pray to the Bearded Old Man above to give their families and friends the strength to be able to overcome the grief of their loved ones. As for the injured, we can only wish them good health and speedy recovery.
So long!