Heavy Rainfall Floods Owerri Imo State , Destroys Over 30 Buildings

At least 30 buildings located in densely populated
Works Layout in Amakohia area, Owerri, were submerged
by flood following a down pour in the town on Friday
evening.
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.
Clothes, 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.
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.
Mr 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.
“The gutter constructed by the construction workers now
is narrow and can no longer contain large water such as
the former one built by past government and because of
this, we record serious flooding here’’, he said.
Another victim, Mr 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’’, he said.
Also speaking, Mr 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.
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.