Residents count losses as flood submerged Rivers communities

Residents of communities in Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor, Eleme and Oyigbo Local Government Areas of Rivers State are counting their losses over the rampaging flood that submerged homes, business premises as well as government facilities on Tuesday. The incident occurred as a result of torrential downpour that dislodged residents from their homes and business premises. […]

Residents of communities in Port Harcourt, Obio Akpor, Eleme and Oyigbo Local Government Areas of Rivers State are counting their losses over the rampaging flood that submerged homes, business premises as well as government facilities on Tuesday.

The incident occurred as a result of torrential downpour that dislodged residents from their homes and business premises.

The rain, which started in the early hours of Tuesday lasted almost the whole day and left tales of woes and agonies just as properties worth millions of naira were said to have been destroyed by the rampaging flood that followed.

The areas worst hit in Port Harcourt were Dline, Awka Street, behind FRSC office Aba Road, Benin street, Warri street, Abak street, Yenegoa street, Afam street, Rumuomasi, Rumueme, Oroworukwo, Elekahia, Rumuibekwe, the popular Port Harcourt Mall, the Central Bank of Nigeria Regional office, the Government House entrance gate, Rivers State Secretariat and Zonal Headquarters of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC.

Some communities in Agbonchia-Eleme, Alesa and Ogali in Eleme Local Government Area of the state were also affected.

Some strategic roads in Port Harcourt affected by the flood were the Azikwe road, Sani Abacha road, Ikwerre road and Olu Obasanjo road. The flood caused traffic gridlock on the stretch of the road as motorists spent hours trying to meander through the flooded areas.

Rampaging flood have been a reoccurring decimal in 21 local government areas of the state.

Some of the affected residents, who spoke with our reporter said that the rampaging flood destroyed their household items.

A resident of Rumuomasi, Kelechi Orji said that the flood submerged his apartment and destroyed his household items.

“The Tuesday flood left tales of woes among residents of Rumoumasi. We have not had this kind of experience in the past. The rampaging flood was as a result of the Tuesday rain that took the whole day. The entire premises where I reside was flooded and all apartments were  submerged. My entire household properties were destroyed by the flood. We have to hire pumping machine to bell out water from our compound,” he said.

He blamed the flood on property developers who he said erect structures on existing drainages.

A resident of Oroworukwo, Isaiah Thompson, said his house was submerged and household items were destroyed.

“I was away when the flood occured so I was not able to remove anything from my house. Everything in my house was destroyed. I don’t know where to start from everything in my house was in a big mess,” he said.

Business activities at the popular Odili Road were disrupted for hours as a result of the rampaging flood. Some occupants, who spoke with our reporter, said they could not access their offices  because roads leading to their offices as well as the premises were submerged.

At Oyigbo and Eleme, the story was the same. Residents recalled terrible experiences from the rampaging flood.

At Kom Kom, a resident, Emeka Umunna said that flood submerged his apartment and displaced many of the tenants.

“It started like the normal rain until it gets out of hand.  Flood submerged the entire premises as well as the ones within the neighborhood. Residents were running helter skelter to salvage their properties from being washed away by the flood. I spent the whole of Tuesday trying to bell out water from my house,” he said.

He blamed the incident on poor drainage in the area and called on both state and local government councils to construct good drainages that will take water out from homes.

In the meantime, the Rivers State government has advised council chairmen and ministries/departments/agencies (MDA) to prepare for emergency situations in flood-prone communities across the state.

This follows the 2021 Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) warnings of adverse weather predictions across the country and in particular Rivers State.