Managing post disaster recovery of market fire victims in Ghana

Abstract

Managing post-disaster recovery is a critical stage in the disaster management process to ensure successful restoration of the damage caused to victims. The study assessed the management of post fire disaster recovery among market fire victims in Ghana, using Makola, Kantamanto and Kumasi Central Markets as cases. A mixed-methods research design was adopted. A total of 400 respondents were sampled from a population of 12,945. Interview schedule and interview guides were used to gather data. The data were processed with Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 21. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal Wallis and Wilcoxon Signed Ranked tests were used to analyse the data. The study found that some of the victims collapsed upon seeing their shops engulfed in fire, while others experienced suicidal tendencies. Some businesses collapsed after the infernos, while others continue to struggle to restore pre-disaster business performance levels. High impact of the disasters on businesses was largely due to the location of both warehouses and retail shops of some victims in the markets. The disaster management institutions provided support to ensure the recovery of victims, however, none of them had a counselling unit to address the psychological needs of victims. Three years after the occurrences of the disasters, victims have not fully recovered, both psychologically and economically. It is estimated to take an average of three more years to restore business performance indicators to pre-disaster levels. The study recommends that traders should locate their warehouses outside the markets to reduce the impact of fire disasters on businesses. National Disaster Management Organisation should create a counselling unit in its operational structures to address the psychological needs of disaster victims.