Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in communities, destroys properties in Rivers

Published 3 days ago• 3 minute read

Torrential rainfall, which began at the weekend till Monday evening with severe flooding, has wreaked havoc in many parts of Port Harcourt and other local councils in Rivers State.

Some residents and business owners had their property destroyed by floods, while several residents lost valuables.

Some areas affected by the flood include Mile One, Mile Three Diobu axis, D/line, Agip, Chinda, Rumolumeni, Rumola, Rukpokwu, Rumuekini in Obio-Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Council of the state.

Other areas most hit by the flood are Choba, Mgbuogba, Aluu, Rumosi, Rumokoro, Emohua, Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Ogoni axis, Oyigbo, Onelga, among many others.

People were displaced from their homes, as the flood submerged houses, and some worship centres were also disrupted, while many farmlands were submerged, forcing people to commence early harvest.

Observations showed that the water channels, including the ones at the Rumokoro axis, Okija and Obiri-Ikwere axis, are yet to be distilled. There was also no awareness created about the potential flooding across the state, as flood committees were not set up, and the drainage systems were not cleared. No significant and proactive steps have been taken so far to mitigate the flood impacts.

Sadly, this is happening after about five months, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) warned about severe flooding this year, with profound highlights on Rivers State, as one of the high-risk areas for potential flooding, placing emphasis on the rising climate challenges .

Already, some deaths have been recorded due to heavy flooding in Delta and Cross River states in the South-South region. One of the flood victims, Mr Friday Mbah, said: “We can no longer go to work because of heavy rains. Our shops have been flooded for three days now. We are hungry but have nothing to eat because we can’t go to work yet, and nobody cares.”

Responding, the state government said it has taken note of the advice from the Federal Government, identifying Rivers State as one of the high-risk areas for potential flooding this year.

The state government, however, disclosed that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is deploying teams to the state and other at-risk regions to sensitise residents on flood preparedness and mitigation measures.

MEANWHILE, NEMA has deployed Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances to its operational offices in Kaduna, Owerri, and Uyo to boost emergency response and save lives during the predicted flood season.

The Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, approved the deployment following an assessment that revealed critical equipment gaps in some of the field offices.

The agency, in a statement yesterday by its Press Unit, stated that the decision aligns with its ongoing efforts to optimise resource allocation and improve disaster response capabilities at the sub-national level.

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