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RESIDENTS OF Blekusu in the Keta district of the Volta region have called on the government to show serious commitment to constructing a sea defence to protect the coastal belt and reduce the destruction of their homes by tidal waves. According to them, they would be forced to give sacking orders to officials of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) who only provide them bags of corn and blankets without taking concrete steps to mitigate their plight. Speaking to the DAILY HERITAGE in an interview, a distressed resident, Emmanuel Kpodovia, lamented that the destruction of their property by the tidal waves is an annual affair but, the authorities have failed to find a lasting solution to their predicament. �It has been happening every year, and what the government does through the National Disaster Management Organization is to provide us with corn and blankets, when in fact, that is not what we need,� he said. He asserted that they do not need the corn and blankets that officials of NADMO dump on them, but, the provision of a sea defence to lessen their woes at the hands of the sea. Mr. Kpodovia recalled that they used to live closer to the sea, but, the tidal waves have submerged all their lands and homes making them refugees. �Every year the sea destroys our houses, and if it should sweep away the ones we live in currently, we do not know where to lay our heads,� he grieved. Recounting the latest disaster that rendered 200 persons homeless, Mr. Kpodovia said that on that fateful day, the sea submerged their houses destroying every property in its trail. �When I noticed that the tidal waves were approaching at a fast pace, I sought the assistance of some friends but, we were a bit late in our efforts. The sea swept away everything I own,� he added. Slyvia Awuye, another resident, said they have been rendered homeless by the tidal waves which have flooded their rooms and every belonging they possess. She lamented that before they can catch any sleep at night, the strategy they employ is for them to lay three concrete blocks on the floor-flooded room and lay wooden slabs on them to sleep. �The animals we have been rearing have been swept away by the sea. Our homes we spent years to build have been claimed by the sea.� An opinion leader, Elisha Tadzi, appealed to the government, as a matter of urgency, to dredge the sea. According to him, the sea level is higher than their homes, therefore, anytime there is a sea storm it is predictable that their houses would be affected. He called on the geological survey department to relook at the map of Ghana once again, as the sea is claiming the coastal belt at a fast pace.