Barely two weeks after flood
visited its fury on Lagos,
sweeping no fewer than 10
people into early graves and
destroying property worth
millions of naira, Calabar and Port
Harcourt residents are living in
perpetual fear of being visited by
the fate that befell the nation’s
commercial nerve centre. And
they have every reason to be
jittery after the heavy downpours
that have greeted the two cities
lately.In Calabar last Sunday, for
instance, it was only divine
intervention that saved 15-year-
old Maureen, from being swept
into her early grave by the flood
that resulted from an early
morning downpour in the city.
Maureen was rescued by vigilant
neighbours at Etito Street in
Calabar South when her parents’
rented apartment collapsed into
the flood that took over most
parts of the city.
Maureen was said to have run
into the house on sighting the
fearful flood that overwhelmed
their entire compound. Unknown
to her, the water had already
dealt a deadly blow to the
foundation of the house in
which she sought refuge. The
house collapsed into a large
channel beside the house,
leaving Maureen to flow
helplessly with the tide.
Fortunately for her, vigilant and
courageous neighbours
abandoned the battle for their
property to frantically comb the
water in search of her.
When she was eventually found
after about 20 minutes of
intensive search, she was
unconscious and had to be
rushed to the hospital where she
was resuscitated. A 65-year-old
man, Chukwudi, also suffered the
same fate when the fence of his
house along Nelson Mandela
collapsed on him. At press time,
he was still recuperating in the
hospital. About three houses in
the area, including a storey
building, were substantially
washed away, leaving the
remaining parts vulnerable to
collapse.
Altogether, no fewer than 50
structures collapsed while about
500 others were flooded during
the disaster in the metropolis,
following the 45-minute
downpour. Although the rain
lasted for less than one one hour,
but the devastation was
phenomenal, even though no
one was reported dead at the
end of the day. Assessing the
disaster alongside the Chairman
of Calabar Municipal Council, Hon.
Etta Mbora and that of Calabar
South, Hon. Ekeng Henshaw, the
Director-General, Cross River State
Emergency Management Agency,
(SEMA), Mr. Vincent Aquah, MON
described the disaster as
unprecedented.
He advised the occupants of the
collapsed buildings to relocate
immediately to avoid further
calamity, assuring that both the
state government and the
councils of affected local
government areas would make
appropriate arrangements for
their welfare.According to him,
more than 500 houses were
affected by the flood that also
displaced about 6,000 persons; a
situation he said was
disheartening and needed
urgent intervention. Aquah
expressed confidence that other
stakeholders in disaster
management, particularly the
Ministry of Works, Housing and
Environment, would assess the
technical needs and address the
problem accordingly. The
Director-General appealed to the
affected persons to exercise
patience while government sorts
out the modalities for relief. He
commended the neighbours and
relations of victims for
accommodating them.
The Chairman of the Calabar
South Local Government Council,
Hon. Ekeng Henshaw, said the
council was disturbed at the turn
of events, which he said was a
challenge to the humanitarian
spirit of his government.
According to him, efforts would
be made to grant affected
persons temporary reliefs. One of
the victims whose houses
collapsed into the channel, Mr.
Moses Archibong, said more than
50 persons, including women
and children, were displaced in
the area, while property worth
about N60 million were washed
away by the raging flood in his
estate. He larmented that the
people were helpless and had
nowhere to go, while the rain
has not given them any respite.
He attributed the effect of the
flood to shallow and poor quality
of the channels, urging the state
government to expand and
deepen them, using quality
materials. Areas mostly affected
were IBB Way by Akim Police
Station; Target by Goldie; Nelson
Mandela by Ebito; Ebito and
Murray streets as well as Big Qua
town. It will be recalled that
based on NIMET (Nigerian
Institute of Meterology)
prediction of heavy rains this
year, the Director-General, Cross
River State Emergency
Management Agency (SEMA), Mr.
Vincent Aquah sensitised the
public on the need to prepare for
possible flooding and its effects,
asking them to fortify their
structures, clear their drainages
and remove structures that were
built along waterways. Similar
warning had gone to farmers to
be wary of the dangers of
flooding and to avoid cultivating
crops in areas considered
vulnerable to flooding,
particularly the low lands.
Flooding has been recorded in
about 11 of the 18 Local
Government Areas of the state,
destroying houses and farmlands
worth more than N600 million
this year. Meanwhile,the South-
South Zonal Coordinator of NEMA,
Mr. Umesi Emenike, has
sympathised with victims of the
flood disaster in the Calabar
metropolis. Mr. Umesi, who
expressed the feelings of the
national humanitarian agency,
said the disaster which affected
thousands of people was
colossal and required urgent
attention.
The South-South Zonal
Coordinator observed that the
victims were living below human
dignity on account of the
disaster, assuring that NEMA
would in the shortest possible
time render humanitarian
assistance to them. He called for
immediate evacuation of
occupants of buildings that had
become vulnerable to collapse, to
avoid further calamity. Mr. Umesi
seized the opportunity to
commend the Cross River State
Government, which through
SEMA had been proactive and
committed to helping disaster
victims in the state.
The Zonal Coordinator, who was
conducted round the affected
areas in the metropolis by Aquah,
appealed to the state
government to endeavour to
avert further flood disasters by
ensuring improved
channelization in the city. The
Director-General of SEMA told the
NEMA official that the magnitude
of the disaster was enormous
and required assistance from the
national body. He said the
displaced persons were either
squatting or living in very
dehumanising conditions.
On its part, the state government
assured the residents of Murray
and Ebito streets of emergency
intervention to save the area
from continued flooding.
The Commissioner for
Environment, Mr. Edward Ogon,
assured during an on-the-spot
assessment of the disaster
caused by flooding in the area
that the state would immediately
reconstruct the channels which,
according to him, were more
than 25 years old, to alleviate the
suffering usually experienced by
residents of the area. He noted
that the area was prone to flood.
He maintained that in a bid to
ensure that the state remained
environment friendly, the state
government was constructing
many channels to enhance free
movement of run-off water.
The commissioner added that
after the reconstruction of
collapsed channels and the
construction of new ones, the
issue of flooding, though a
natural occurrence, would be put
under maximum control to avoid
the recent experience in Lagos.
While thanking God that no life
was lost in the flooding that
caused the collapse of the
Brotherhood of the Cross and
Star (Ebito Bethel) and other
adjoining buildings, Ogon
sympathised with residents for
the loss of their valuables. He,
however, warned against
erecting structures at
unauthorised places or dumping
waste into channels, saying this
always results in flooding.
Residents of the affected area
appealed for the diversion of
water from the area, adding that
the area was a victim of run-off
water from Federal Housing,
Murtala Mohammed Highway and
Ika-Ika Oqua areas.
The Commissioner was
accompanied by the Permanent
Secretary of the ministry, Elder
Edward Gekpe, engineers from
the Erosion and Flood Control
Department and other
management staff of the
ministry.
On Monday, Governor Liyel Imoke
visited affected areas and
directed relevant ministries,
departments and agencies
(MDAs) to carry out an appraisal
of the flood-prone areas in parts
of Calabar to enable the
government to undertake
remedial measures to tackle the
menace.
The governor, who
acknowledged the plight of the
people whose homes and other
property were devastated by the
flood, directed the environment
and works ministries as well as
the State Emergency
Management Agency (SEMA) to
take immediate action to address
the problem.
He assured that the collapsed
walls of the water channel and
the affected roads would be
promptly attended to, to enable
inhabitants of the affected areas
go about their normal
businesses, adding that he
appreciated the fact that some
losses had been recorded and
that people were traumatised by
the natural disaster.
The areas he inspected included
Target/Goldie Junction, Ebito
Street, and Nelson Mandela
Avenue and the damaged
portions of Channel One, among
others.
Many parts of Port Harcourt have
also been sharing the plight of
Lagos and Calabar since the rains
began. Particularly affected are
Ikwerre Road and the ever-busy
Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway,
particularly the section around
Rumuola flyover.
Ikwerre Road, recently dualised
by the Amaechi administration, is
flooded each time it rains,
particularly the section in front of
the Divisional Police
Headquarters, Mile One, Diobu.
At the section around the
Rumuola flyover, it is a Herculean
task for motorists and
pedestrians to pass the area
each time it rains, because it is
usually flooded.
Construction activities embarked
upon by the Amaechi
administration are partly
responsible for the recurrent
flooding, particularly because
some of the roads have no
drainage.
Worst hit by the construction-
induced floods is the
Rumuokwuta-Choba axis of the
state capital, off the East-West
Road and near the University of
Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
Residents of Rumuokwachi, off
the Rumuokwuta-Choba road,
are not happy with the Rivers
State Government over the
incessant flooding of the area,
blaming Homan Engineering
Company Limited, an indigenous
firm dualising the road, for their
plight.
Owing to the difficulty of
channeling the drainage to a
natural waterway or canal,
whenever it rains, the flood from
Ozuoba, Choba, Rumuomasi and
Rumuoparali, all in Port Harcourt,
empty into Rumuookwachi and
result in flooding.
Landlords in flooded areas are
finding it extremely difficult to
drive vehicles into their houses.
Many tenants in the affected
areas are already seeking
alternative accommodation in
other parts of the city.
The contract for dualisation of
the 13.58km Rumuokwuta-
Choba Road was awarded by the
Amaechi government for N8.8
billion on December 10, 2007,
with 18-month completion
period. But at press time, there
was still a lot of work to be done.
The immediate past
Commissioner for Works in the
state, Dakuku Peterside, who is
now a member of the House of
Representatives, had described
the Rumuokwuta-Choba Road as
a priority project. But he
admitted that the construction
firm ran into an engineering
challenge on where to channel
the drainage, since many houses
would have to be demolished.
The newly-inaugurated
Commissioner for Works, Chief
Victor Tombari Giadom, while
inspecting ongoing capital
projects in Port Harcourt and
other parts of the state, urged
the people to cooperate with the
government in it bid to do things
that would make the roads to
last longer.
Giadom said Governor Amaechi is
aware of the plight of the people,
especially in areas where
construction activities were
going on. He said everything
possible would be done to
quickly put an end to the
people’s suffering. He pleaded for
their continued support.
But a major cause of floods in
Port Harcourt is the attitude of
some residents who are in the
habit of emptying their refuse in
the drains. This, the Chairman of
the Rivers State Environmental
Sanitation Authority, Mr. Isobo
Jack, described as a major
challenge.
Jack asked those who do so to
desist forthwith or be ready to
face the full wrath of the law,
declaring that the authority
would not condone indiscipline
and lawlessness.
The Amaechi administration has
been proactive in tackling flood
in Port Harcourt and its environs
by setting up a Committee on
Flood Control, headed by Mr.
Godstime Oluku and another
Inter-Ministerial Committee on
Flood Control, chaired by Prof.
Winston Bellgam of UNIPORT.
Bellgam’s committee was set up
about two months ago, in
response to professional advice
on the likelihood of downpour
and flooding in Rivers State and
other parts of the Niger Delta this
year.
It was also discovered that some
landlords in Port Harcourt opt to
build houses on natural
waterways, making flooding
inevitable.