Residents and indigenes of Abia agrarian community (Amaogwugwu) in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state were left in shock as a torrential rainfall ransacked no fewer than 6 houses, several farmlands and some businesses center located within the community.
Though there was no loss of life, the level of destruction was massive.
While farmlands, houses were still submerged in the flood, schooling activities were disrupted as students and pupils could not go to school as parents and guardians feared to lose their wards to the flood.
A community leader whose house was destroyed by the flood, Chief B. N Orji, lamented the massive destruction recorded by the community.
“It is true that we have rivers around our community, but all my life that I have lived here, I have not seen such overflow of river banks and destruction as we witnessed today.
“Foodstuffs such as bags of rice and other food items, electronics and furniture were all destroyed by the flood which penetrated every part of his house,” Orji stated
The President-General of the community Chief Emeka Chukwuma described the flood as very heavy and severe, according to him, the community has never witnessed such devastating flooding before. He called on the state government, NDDC, NEMA, and SEMA to come to the aid of those who were displaced and whose houses and businesses were destroyed by the flood.
An industrial Oil Mill operator Mr. Sam Mbakwe lamented the heavy damage the flooding has caused to his household and business.
Mbakwe said the flood which submerged all his machines and damaged the motorized components of the electrically powered one.
According to him, his household and his factory situated near the river banks were all destroyed including his home appliances, furniture, and food items.
Chief Chima Amadi, a civil servant and community leader who has a house near the Ikwu River decried the level of damage the flood caused him.
Although no member of his family was in the house when the floods got to their residence, household items and some parts of the house were destroyed by the flood.
A church located in the community; Bible Life Christian Church, was totally submerged by the flood and the resident pastor who lives within the church premises was lucky to escape alive with his family.
A member of the community who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said the flood sacked them from their home early hours of the morning leaving, his wife; a nursing mother and their one-week-old baby to suffer from cold.
The woman and her baby have since been admitted to a hospital while efforts were being made to resettle them when they return.
Some members of the community blamed the flooding on the dredging of the river; a project that they alleged that was embarked upon by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), according to them was abandoned midway, making it impossible for the flood to find its way into Imo River.
They, however, called on government at State and Federal to come to their rescue, this is even as they feared that another rain could wreak more havoc on their community.
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Further investigation by our reporter has it that the flooding in the community was as a result of the overflow of the Imo River on the said day.
