Disaster; an Inexplicable Canker to the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly in the Central Region of Ghana

The study was carried out to analyze data on recorded disaster cases in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly which are assuming alarming proportions annually. The main objective of the study was to determine the quarterly trend of recorded cases of disaster made available for this research (2010 to 2012 inclusive). The findings of this research were to clear the uncertainty in the minds of the teeming populace within the metropolis regarding rate of change of disasters in their locality. It was to better inform the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana National Fire Service in the Central Region of Ghana, appropriate preventive measures and interventions during the peak zones of disasters. Testing the results with the Two-Way Analysis of Variance (Two-Way ANOVA) at 5% significance level, revealed that there were no statistical differences in the annual recorded cases of disasters. However, the quarterly differences were significant with the last quarter of every year recording the highest in the sub-region. The rate of increase of recorded cases of disasters stood at an average of 17% over the period with approximately 83 disaster cases recorded quarterly in the Cape Coast Metropolis. This number was largely influenced by motor accident. The cultural and religious practices of the people during certain periods of the year were possible contributory factors.