Hundreds of residents in Abuta, a suburb of Asaba, the Delta State capital yesterday fled for safety as flood waters submerged their homes in the coastal community along the bank of the Niger River.
The surging flood, it was learnt, came calling in the early hours of the day when residents were just rising from sleep and preparing for the day’s activities.
As at the time our correspondent visited the scene, most of the submerged houses had been deserted by the occupants who were said to have mobilised wooden boats and tricycles to evacuate their property.
No life was lost to the flood, but a magnificent building belonging to Pasture of Life Church has already gone under water, while two other churches, including Celica Church of Christ and a branch of Deeper Life, are seriously being threatened by the surging flood.
Workers at the Pasture of Life Church were busy salvaging what was left of the church’s property as they were dismantling the air conditioners mounted on the walls of the building.
A resident in the area, identified as Mama Faith, lamented that her children had not eaten for about 24 hours when the flood started, adding that there was simply no place to set up fire for cooking. Another resident, Jonathan Okonkwo, said his apartment has been submerged, and that if the situation deteriorated further, he will relocate to ‘A’ Divisional Police Station with his entire household to seek refuge.
“When you came last week, the water was far away, but this morning, look at the length it has covered. Nobody is in this building as we speak. My room is full of water. And government is not listening to us. They are telling us to move out but where are we moving to? Where is the money to even move in the first instance?” Okonkwo queried. Another resident, James, alleged that authorities as Oshimili South Local Government Area were insensitive to the plight of the people affected by the flood.
James, who was livid, alleged that some people under the guise of revenue collectors came to the area “and rather than sympathise with us, they told us that they came to enforce tenement rates as imposed by Oshimili South Local Government Area.