No
fewer than 30 buildings located in the densely populated Works Layout in
Amakohia area, Owerri, were submerged by flood following a downpour on Friday
evening.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the rain, which started at about 6
p.m. and lasted till about 8.30 p.m. on Friday, caused flooding that affected
property worth millions of naira in some parts of the town.
NAN
reports that cloths, cooking pots, plates, bags, books, and tricycles were seen
floating on the flood.
Although
no building collapsed, the flooding collapsed the fence of some buildings
leading to water flowing into houses.
The
news agency also reports that the areas badly affected within the Works Layout
area are Mgbeahuru Street, Road C, and Road B in Amakohia Housing Estate Owerri
where almost all the upstairs buildings had the ground floors covered with
water.
Kelechi
Uzohu, a resident of the area, blamed the flooding on poor road construction by
contractors engaged to rehabilitate the road from the Standard Shoe Industry
Amakohia to Imo State University Junction.
He
Said:-
“The
gutter constructed by the construction workers now is narrow and can no longer
contain large water as the former one built by past government and because of
this, we record serious flooding here,”
Another
resident, Emma Ugochukwu, said but for the prompt intervention of his
neighbours, his two children and sister in-law would have drowned in the flood.
“I
was still on my way back home when the rain started and I stopped somewhere for
the rain to subside.
“Unknown
to me that flood had already covered my flat with my two children trapped in my
flat with my 12-year old sister in-law.
“It
was my fellow tenants who noticed that I was not yet back that rushed and
forced my door open to rescue them,”
Also
speaking, Vitus Nwadikwa, a resident of MCC/Uratta area of Owerri, said: “I
cannot count the number of buildings covered by water in the area where I
reside this evening.
“The
level of damage is enormous and people are running here and there in the rain
to move their things out’’, he said.
Other
areas also affected by flood were Umunguma area, Akwakuma, Orji, Ikenegbu and
some part of Ekeukwu Owerri Main Market on Douglas Road Owerri.
NAN
recalls that the National Emergency Management Agency office in Owerri had
earlier warned people living in flood-prone areas to relocate to safer
locations due to imminent flooding expected towards the end of the year.
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