•Oshodi, Lagos today, Wednesday.
Early hours torrential rain that pounded the better part Lagos State on Wednesday for hours have left a trail of havoc on its track, submerging residential neighborhoods, flooding plains, major roads and grinding movement of persons and vehicles to a halt.
A building newly constructed in Mushin area collapsed as the flood surged in with rage and torpedo the structure, it was learnt.
The two-storey building at No 12 Cameroun Street off Ewenla in the Mushin area collapsed due to the rain.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said seven people, including three females and four males, were rescued from the rubble and taken to the hospital.
Many of the residents of Lagos did not leave their homes and those that left early for places of businesses or offices ended up being trapped halfway into their journeys as the major roads were flooded, making them impassable.
Some residents were evicted by the ravaging storm flood and vehicles submerged while daily routines there were also crippled and disrupted.
Areas hard hit included Ajah, Ikoyi, Lekki, Iyana-Oworonshoki, the Third Mainland Bridge, LASU/Iba-Ojo road, Awolowo Road in Ikeja, Apapa-Gbagada expressway, and the Lagos-Ibadan highway.
Surulere, Ikorodu – Ojota road, Ketu – Alapere and Ojodu area were not spared.
•Residents Lament
Some of the residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, shared their experience.
Gideon Adarugo, a resident of Abule-Osun, Ojo, in the state, said that floods have overrun the drainage in the area.
“Everywhere is flooded, we have been evacuating water from our premises since the rain started.
“If the rain continues in the next two hours, our gutters will overrun and we do not know what to do. It is a swampy area but we have not had it this bad in recent times.
“We hope the water stops rising as soon as the rain stops,” Mr Adarugo said.
Temitope Babalola, a resident of Lambe street in the Egbeda area of the state, said the flood has grounded activities in the area as school pupils were advised to stay back home.
“The flood is massive in our area, even last week, the water seeped into our home. We had to bail it out.
“It is a complete shutdown for us as the children are unable to go to school due to persistent rain of today and the consequent flooding of the entire street.
“Some private school authorities in the neighbourhood called parents to keep their wards back home due to the floods.
“Vehicles are unable to navigate their way through the flood, we are all indoors hoping the rains will stop falling soon.
“Jimoh bus stop, Akowonjo area and Shasha axis are currently flooded, even for vehicular movements,” Mr Babalola said.
On her part, Tina Otibho, a resident of Gbagada, said the flood stopped her and other road commuters from going to work.
“The Gbagada/Oworonshoki expressway is currently flooded and we cannot access the third mainland bridge to the island.
“The canals in the area are over flooded and are seeping into the houses in the area.
“We just hope the rain does not persist, or else we will all be grounded for a while,” Mrs Otibho said.
A resident of Ojo barracks, Glory Micheal, said the whole area has been flooded since the rain commenced.
“The whole neighbourhood is currently flooded since the rain began in the early hours of the day. We have been scooping water out of our houses to keep the flood out.
“We hope the rain does not persist or else we may be at the brink of losing properties to the flood.
“The drainage in the area is overflowing, and with the torrent of the rain, we may experience this flood for some days,” Ms Michael said.
Also, Collins Ani, a trader at the popular GL market at Trade Fair, said that the flood at the Underbridge bus stop has doubled in size.
“Our customers are finding it hard to access the market due to the flood at the bus stop.
“It has been a hectic day, and vehicular movement is difficult to navigate into the market due to the flood and bad roads.
“We hope the rain does not continue like this, or we will not be able to enjoy sales as usual,” Mr Ani added.
Another resident, Lara Ashaolu, said the flood at Ayobo was minimal compared to the ones they experienced earlier in the year.
Ms Ashaolu, however, said that some streets in the area were completely flooded, and residents could not go about their usual activities.
Ogun: Lambe, Akute Residents Groan, Want Abiodun To Fix Roads, Drainages
In Ogun State, residents of Olambe, Akute in Ifo Local Government Area of the state are groaning as flood and storm water took over their homes, modern market and roads after one torrential rain.
Lamenting that it is a perennial problem, they urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to come to their rescue inline with his electioneering promises and fix the roads and drainages.
Areas most affected include Ifesowapo, modern market in Olambe, Akute – Ishaga link road, Ojodu Berger road, Aseludero area among others.The areas have become inaccessible due to the flood, deplorable roads and drainages.
Some of the residents, who spoke to our reporter attributed the flooding to poor channelling of waterways, indiscriminate dumping of waste in the localities and building on the right of ways of drainages.
•Lagos Govt Calls For Calm
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has called for calm over the flash flood brought about by the torrential rainfall that hit the entire state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab made the plea in a statement on Wednesday.
He stated, “Lagos has experienced about nine hours of non-stop rainfall since the early hours of Wednesday.
“This is coupled with the heavy rainfall which the state has been experiencing daily since the previous week resulting in the rise in level of the Lagos lagoon,” Wahab said.
He said the affected places such as Iyana-Oworo linking the Third Mainland and several other areas would recede once the rains abate and the level of the lagoon reduces.
