Abstract

Accra’s recurrent flooding exposes a mismatch between connected urban risks and divided institutional responsibilities. This article develops a framework for explaining that mismatch across public health, psychological well-being, theological ethics, and sustainable urban governance. A critical integrative review and qualitative documentary analysis synthesise 82 sources, with published human perspectives treated as secondary evidence. The June 2026 flood provides an attributed illustration rather than a causal test. Four recurring mechanisms organise the synthesis: exposure accumulates through land and infrastructure decisions before rainfall; environmental hazards intersect with disrupted care and psychological distress; warnings require intelligibility, trust, and feasible protective action; and fragmented authority sustains gaps between known risks and prevention. Christian, Muslim, and Indigenous Ghanaian perspectives illuminate both supportive capacities and tensions concerning fatalism, custodianship, and unequal participation. Faith-based support is documented, whereas the effectiveness of diaspora co-investment in Accra remains untested. The Boundary-Crossing Flood Governance Framework specifies the risk or resource crossing each interface, the responsible authority, the observable failure, and the protective condition to evaluate. Its Accra Boundary-Crossing Resilience Compact connects these interfaces to proposed measures, baseline procedures, fiscal responsibilities, and safeguards against exclusion, unsafe reconstruction, volunteer exhaustion, and displacement of public duties. The contribution is an accountable, testable approach to coordinating ecological prevention, health continuity, and equitable recovery; it is not an evaluated intervention.

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