By Samuel Olusegun Precious
Residents of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, are counting their losses following a devastating downpour that flooded several parts of the city over the weekend. The heavy rainfall, which started on Saturday evening and lasted till Monday morning, submerged houses, roads and business premises in many areas.
The worst affected areas include Diobu, Borikiri, Rumukurushi, Rumuigbo, Rumumasi, Eliozu, Woji and parts of Peter Odili Road. Many residents were seen scooping water from their houses while others had their property destroyed by the flood. Rukpowku and Eneka are also some of the hardest affected areas.
Nkpolu Junction along East West Road is another area currently flooded as some motorists avoided the service lane towards Choba to avoid floodwaters entering the vehicle while the Community Secondary School, Rumuapara is fully flooded. It is not yet known whether classes will go on today.
Some landlords in the affected areas told ExceedFM correspondent that the flood has become a yearly occurrence due to blocked drainages and poor town planning. A resident of Woji, Mr. Chukwu Emeka, said: “I lost everything in my house. Water entered my house around 2am. We could not sleep. Government should come to our aid.”
Motorists also had a hectic time as major roads like Ikwerre Road, Aba Road and East-West Road were flooded, causing heavy traffic gridlock. Exceed FM correspondent witnessed government deployed an excavator at the Eliozu Canal Bridge by Salvation Ministry, GU Ake Road on Sunday morning trying to desilt the canal and allow free flow of water as residences and shops close to the Eliozu Flyover have been submerged in flood water. The water channel has overflowed the area and sacked some residents who have salvaged some of their belongings and moved away.
A resident simply identified as victor told Exceed FM that all his property had been soaked and he was putting on only his boxer as he left the house and came back with the room completely flooded. Videos and pictures of flood ravaged areas and homes flooded the social media over the weekend with the residents calling for the government’s intervention.
Residents have called on the Rivers State Government and the Port Harcourt City Local Government to clear blocked drainages and come up with a permanent solution to the perennial flooding in the city. They also appealed for relief materials for victims whose houses and shops were affected.
As at the time of filing this report, the state government is yet to react to the incident though the Rivers State Flood Prevention and Management Committee has visited some flood prone council areas to distribute food and non-perishable items to flood victims.
