Residents of many flood-prone communities in Delta State are groaning as their areas have been submerged following two days of heavy torrential downpours.
The early morning heavy downpours on Monday and Tuesday, which lasted for several hours respectively, disrupted business activities while many students, soaked in their uniforms, were sighted returning home as they found it difficult to get commercial buses and tricycles to convey them to their destinations.
Many residents could not even attempt to come out of their flooded environment for the fear of the unknown.
Mostly affected areas, according to PUNCH Metro investigations, included the popular Ginuwa community in Warri South Local Government Area as well as some streets in Oduma Layout, off new Okpe road, former Cranefield road, and the Red Beret Police Road notably parts of Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo and other neighbouring communities in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
Consequently, many residents of the affected areas have been lamenting over the havoc caused them following the flooding in the localities which they attributed mainly to bad drainage systems.
In their submissions, affected residents in Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo and in main Warri metropolis accused the Delta State government of being adamant about the prior flood warnings from different relevant Federal Government agencies notably the Nigeria Environmental Management Agency, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency and Nigeria Meteorological Agency.
They are urging the state government to immediately intervene by coming to the rescue of the flood victims as well as evacuate those living in flood-prone areas across the state.
Commenting on the incident, the Chairman of Odume Layout residents association, Osuogu, appealed to the Delta State Government and other interventionist agencies to come to their aid by constructing the access roads in the adjoining streets to the New Okpe road as well as constructing bigger drainages in the locality to pave way for easy flow of the water to the drains.
