Health
Imo residents lament as flooding submerges homes, businesses
Uche Okere
Residents of several communities in Imo State have lamented the impact of torrential rainfall that submerged homes, shops and roads on Monday, leaving many stranded and disrupting commercial and educational activities.
The flooding, which affected parts of Owerri and neighbouring communities, followed hours of heavy rainfall that left motorists unable to navigate some roads and forced residents to remain indoors.
The Owerri office of the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed that several parts of the state were affected, saying it had received distress calls from residents seeking assistance.
A NEMA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We have received several reports from different places today and the complaints are the same. Everywhere is flooded; it is overwhelming, unfortunately.”
Imo is among the states that have experienced torrential rainfall since Thursday, with prolonged downpours causing flooding and disrupting movement in several communities.
At the Federal Housing Estate, Umuguma, in Owerri West Local Government Area, residents said floodwater entered their homes and businesses, leaving them stranded.
One of the residents, Uchenna Nnadozie, who said he had lived in the area for about three years without experiencing flooding, posted videos on Facebook showing the extent of the flooding around his apartment.
He said the situation had disrupted movement and forced schools in the area to close.
“I moved in here about three years ago and I have never experienced flooding. Now, see my house. The whole place is flooded. Schools are shut down. Nobody can go out, let alone drive out.
“Just take a look at our street. Everywhere is flooded,” Nnadozie lamented.
Another Umuguma resident, Mr Val, who spoke during a live programme on Groove FM Owerri, said residents had been trapped by the flood and could neither leave nor access the community because of the condition of the roads.
A widow, Mrs Amadi, also lamented that floodwater had entered her home and shop, leaving her worried about how to care for her two children.
“I don’t understand the road construction going on. Now, see my kiosk flooded, see my room flooded. Where do I go from here with these little children? The roads are terribly flooded,” she said.
Amadi appealed to the government to urgently address the situation, saying the flooding had compounded the hardship faced by residents.
“Government should fix the roads, and urgently too. We are suffering. Transportation is exorbitant. I paid thrice for the same distance to go to church and there is no solution in sight,” she lamented.
Shop owners along the Umuguma major road were also affected, as floodwater reportedly submerged businesses and some filling stations.
Several vehicles were said to have become stranded while attempting to navigate the flooded road, with about four vehicles reportedly breaking down.
Residents attributed part of the flooding to the ongoing road construction and drainage works in the area, alleging that the level of some drains was too high and had contributed to water entering existing homes.
The flooding was also reported around Ohaozara Street, near the back gate of Imo State University.
A resident, Dr Nwakaego Ohaegbulam, said the ongoing rehabilitation of the Ohaozara-Aladinma Road had made movement particularly difficult amid the heavy rainfall.
Writing on Facebook, Ohaegbulam said residents had been unable to drive in or out of the area for more than a month.
“For over a month now, we can’t drive in or out. It’s raining torrents, which makes the road slippery and a hazard for both parents and children,” she wrote.
She added that taking children to school had become a difficult task as residents were forced to walk along the edges of gutters.
Ohaegbulam appealed to the contractor handling the project and the relevant authorities to expedite work on the road.
Students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, were also affected by the flooding, with some reporting that water had entered their apartments.
A FUTO undergraduate, Okechukwu, said, “See our apartments which we thought were close to the school to save expenses. Now, floods have trapped us inside. Our rooms are flooded and we don’t know what to do.”
In Emeabiam, Owerri North Local Government Area, a local musician, Ugo Stevenson, said residents were also stranded as floodwater submerged roads and farmlands.
“Nobody is talking about Emeabiam. We can’t even go out or come in because our roads and farmlands are flooded. The farms we worked hard to till have been completely washed away,” Stevenson said.
He added that some residents had been forced to remain indoors after floodwater entered their homes.
The flooding has also disrupted activities in several parts of the state, with schools and businesses reportedly shut as residents struggled to cope with the impact of the prolonged rainfall.
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