NEMA confirms one dead, two missing in Ibadan flood

NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed the death of one and two missing persons in a Tuesday evening flood incident around the Joyce-B/Mobil area of Ibadan.

The NEMA South-West Coordinator, Kadir Olanrewaju, disclosed this to newsmen in Ibadan on Wednesday while assessing the level of damage at the scene.

NAN reports that a heavy downpour on Tuesday across some areas within the Ibadan metropolis affected some residential areas, leaving inestimable property destroyed.

Olanrewaju attributed the flooding to improper channelisation of drainage in the area, saying the volume of water in the area was too much for the available drainages.

He said the flood reached the gate level, adding that the area was a flash flood plane, which might result in heavy disaster if not addressed at the right time.

“People need to move away from this place because if we have another rain, the flood will be devastating; you can see that the lower parts of most of the buildings and the fences are weak,” he said.

One of the residents of the area, Mr Solomon Agboro, said the flood covered the ground floor of his building, forcing his family members to run upstairs for safety.

Agboro, who said the flood destroyed all the property on the ground floor, called on the government to come to their aid in creating proper channelisation in the area.

Another resident, Oni Bishola, said she had been living in the area for the last four years and had been experiencing flooding every year.

Bishola, however, said that Tuesday’s flooding was the heaviest in the area since she moved in.

She added that most household items like gas cookers, televisions, compressors, machines and mattresses, among others, were destroyed.

She called on the management of the Ibadan South-West Local Government and Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to come to their aid in providing a proper water channelisation.

NAN also observed that the fence of a building under construction beside Calvary Heritage School, Felele area of Ibadan, was brought down due to the flooding.

At the Idi-Odo junction, the front of FCMB was flooded due to a lack of proper drainages, thus disrupting the free flow of vehicles.

Some roads in the adjoining streets at Ring Road area were also badly affected due to the heavy downpour.

NAN