BY EBUN SESSOU
In Lagos, rainfall is rather becoming a curse rather than a blessing with the loss of lives and properties as a result of heavy downpour, storm and flood.

Recently, the city of Lagos experienced another flood  tragedy that left many people homeless.

Some of the victims were speechless as they did not know what the future  would unfold.

One of the victims of the recent flood in Lagos was Pastor Akinolu who lives in a new site of the low cost housing  estate Oke afa area of Lagos.

When Saturday Vanguard visited him, the mood was enough to tell what the family has been going through since the incident occurred.

Explaining how the tragedy besieged his household, he said, “I went for all night prayer when I received a call from my wife. She was unable to relate the incident to me properly. So, when I got back home, I saw that the whole compound was flooded.

“It is not too long that we packed to this place. I don’t know why, I should be experiencing this tragedy now.

“I have not recovered from a particular flooding I encountered last year and this one is coming at this time”, he lamented.

Another victim was Mohammed Soneye who sustained severe  injury as a result of the rainstorm. As the storm raged, an uncompleted building fell on him while sleeping.

A neighbour, Adebayo, who explained to Saturday Vanguard how the tragedy occurred, said: “About 1.15am, Mohammed’s brother, Mr. Akeem raised the alarm that we should help rescue his brother.

We rushed to his apartment, but unfortunately, he was soaked in his blood. It took time before he could be removed from the debris, and by the time he was removed, he was severely injured.”

Continuing, the neighbour added that, “he stays in the boys’ quarter of the main building and was fast asleep when the building collapsed.

“I was sleeping in my house, which is opposite their apartment, when a call came in that the building had collapsed on him and I should come and assist. I quickly rushed to the scene, but he was badly injured,” he lamented.

For  hours, many areas in Lagos experienced torrential rainfall that left untold hardship on the people due to bad city planning. It left the affected areas submerged in flood.

In Lagos, the whole of the state tasted the bitter pill, as areas like Arowojobe and Akinwunmi estates in Maryland, parts of Ikeja GRA, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Ibeju-Lekki, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Yaba, Surulere, Gbagada, Oworonshoki, Mafoluku-Oshodi, Iyana-Ejigbo, Isheri-Osun, Berger-Alagbole Road, Ajegunle, Ikorodu Road, Ogijo and Odogunyan, were all affected.

Commuters were forced to return home after waiting in various  motor parks in vain for commercial vehicles that never came.

Areas that seemed worst hit by the traffic gridlock were the mainland areas, such as Ogba, Ikeja, Orile-Agege, Alagbado, Iyana-Ipaja, Ipaja, Ayobo, Moshalashi, AIT Road, Kollington, Oke-Odo and Ahmadiyya. Between Ahmadiyya and Ijaiye on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, a portion of the road collapsed, leaving commuters stranded.

It was, however, another opportunity for commercial bus operators and motorcyclists, popularly referred to as Okada, to make more money as they inflated transport fares.

In places like Alagbado, Orile-Agege and communities along the old toll gate at Sango-Ota, the volume of  the  flood was very high. In some places the flood was said to have reached rooftops of bungalow structures. People had to evacuate their residence for safety. Many residents could not sleep in their houses as the whole place had been taken over by rain flood. Possessions were lost to the floods, while some residents resorted to bailing out the flood water.

A lot of Lagosians had stories to tell on their experiences with the rainstorm and the flood.

An occupant of the building where Mohammed lives, Bimpe Irepo, stated that she would had been a victim of the incident if she had not attended an all-night prayer. “I stay upstairs and my room was affected. The collapsed wall fell onto our bedroom and our kitchen. I thank God that I heeded my wife’s call to attend our church’s vigil in Ebute-Meta. Maybe, we would have been dead by now.

“My eight months old pregnant sister, Bosede, who slept in the sitting room when the incident happened, is currently in shock and has been put on bed rest because of this incident.”

It was also learnt that no fewer than three persons were feared dead in different parts of the state because of the floods.

“The flood destroyed property worth several millions of naira in our area and many residents have so far been rendered homeless.”

A landlord in the area, Sunday Adewale, narrated how his family slept outside after the disaster. Also, a trader, who identified herself as Aderemi, said she lost goods worth N60,000 in the flood. “In spite of the flood and the losses, I am still grateful to God for saving my life,” she said.

In Ejigbo area, Omotayo said her family kept vigil when they saw the impact of the rain. “The rain was so serious; the wind was scary. I had to gather my children together at about 2.00am after I heard the sound of the wall collapsing. Luckily, no one was hurt, but one of  my neighbours had his car badly damaged by the wall, which fell,” she told.