Victims of the flood that ravaged parts of Uyo metropolis have begun recounting their ordeals.
The flood, which followed a heavy downpour that lasted throughout Thursday night, devastated many homes and rendered several residents homeless.
Speaking with our correspondent in Uyo on Friday, one of the victims, who identified himself simply as Idongesit, lamented that he could not salvage any of his belongings, as his entire house was submerged.
“I woke up in the middle of the night to see the raging flood, and before I could do anything, the whole area had been overtaken by the flood. I tried, but I could not rescue a single item from my house. All my clothes, the mattress and everything else were destroyed by the flood,” Idongesit lamented.
He called on the state government to assist the victims without delay.
“My appeal is that the state government should come to the aid of the victims without delay. It is a very serious disaster,” he added.
Also speaking, a resident of Tabernacle Road, Uyo, Mr Christian Etim, described the situation as devastating and called for urgent intervention from the state government to alleviate the suffering of the victims.
“It was a very devastating experience. The whole of Tabernacle Road is flooded. People are suffering. The government should urgently do something to assist the victims of this disaster,” he said.
A resident of Ekemba Street, one of the areas worst hit by the flood, Mr Udo Okon, said he fled his flooded home with his wife and children to seek refuge in a safer location after the floodwaters engulfed their house.
“We lost everything to the flood. In fact, I ran out of the flooded house with my wife and children to a safer place when the flood had taken over the entire building,” Okon said.
Our correspondent reports that thousands of people have been rendered homeless after floodwaters ravaged homes and business premises following several hours of heavy rainfall on Thursday night.
Among the worst-hit parts of the city were Abak Road, Ekemba Street, Uwah Street and Aka Itiam Street, among other residential areas.
One of the victims, who shared a video of the flooded neighbourhood, raised concerns over the safety of residents after an entire building was submerged.
“I am calling on the state government to come to our aid. I am not sure of the safety of other occupants of the houses. Our residence has been overrun by the flood,” he said in the video.
While some residents blamed the flooding on poor construction work by contractors handling road projects, experts attributed it to the effects of climate change.
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