TEARS AS ENUGU RESIDENTS MOAN DEVASTATION OF PROPERTY AND SOURCES OF LIVELIHOOD BY RAIN AND WINDSTORM

Days after a heavy rain and windstorm wreaked havoc in Enugu metropolis and nearby communities, some victims are still counting their losses with a plea for urgent government intervention. Apart from destruction of residential buildings and personal property, the incident has thrown some people into darkness as it affected electricity installations and some other critical public facilities as well as farms.

This happened as Nigerians were grappling with the on-going lockdown of social, religious and economic activities in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. A downpour interlaced with windstorm, in a space of three hours, Tuesday night, dealt devastating blow on their property and sources of livelihood.

Bungalows, car garages and storey buildings had their roofs either badly damaged or totally blown off by the windstorm. Mrs. Florence Agu, residing in Ngwo community near Enugu, and Mr. Chidi Ikedinma, a resident of Achara Lay-Out, Enugu cried out that they lost their household belongings to the stormy rain.

“Everything in our house: our parlour, our bedroom, our mattress, the ceiling, the roof, the television, the chairs there, our kitchen, our documents, and so many things, in fact, it was terrible and we have no where to sleep as I am talking to you right now,” Mrs. Agu moaned.

For Mr. Ikedinma, “all my house, everywhere, the roof was completely removed, I don’t know the kind of wind it came with, it was too much, what can I do?”

A poultry farmer in Ngwo, Mrs. Nkemdilim Okoye, who was in tears and seemingly in utter confusion when Radio Nigeria visited, cried as she shared the experience of losing all her birds.

“The rain damaged my house and my poultry farm, everything that I have: I have like 350 birds and the rain killed all of them,” Mrs. Okoye cried.

The windstorm also damaged gigantic bill boards and some communication masts. It further brought down both economic and ordinary trees, roofs of government offices and schools, including those of six buildings at Community Secondary School Amagunze, which was yet to recover from a fire incident that gutted its laboratory in January, 2020.

One of the community leaders in the Amagunze, Ozo Francis Nnamani, who expressed shock at the development, described the incident as double jeopardy.

“The people and students of CSS Amagunze were again thrown into a state of dilemma as the rainstorm on 31st March,2020 around 7:30 Pm destroyed six buildings and valuables worth millions of naira. Following the development, on behalf of the town, I am applying to the Enugu State Government and Nkanu East Local Government as well as the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency to kindly wield into this situation.

Besides, some individual houses were destroyed of which that so many people have been rendered homeless in the town. In this regard as well, I am appealing for government intervention.”

Meanwhile some residents of Enugu have remained in darkness since the last Tuesday incident as the windstorm struck down some electricity poles and damaged some transformers.

Areas still affected included some parts of Uwani, Achara Layout and Trans-Ekulu. Mrs. Chibuzo Okwe who lives at Phase-6 Trans-Ekulu lamented that they lost greater part of the foodstuff they bought to enable them to stay at home in compliance with measures by government to curb the spread of the dread Coronavirus.

“Since they told us to stay at home, we went to the market, bought things, cooked, stores in the fridge but with this total darkness, everything has spoilt. I don’t know what to do.

“We are begging EEDC to come and rectify our transformer, which woods from some blown off roofs scattered the wires in the transformer and we have since reported the matter to them,” Mrs. Okwe cried out.

While some people have begun replacing the damaged roofs, others, including Mr. Onyebuchi Okolo, cried out that with the closure of the market, it would be difficult for them to procure building materials to re-roof their buildings and replace lost items.

“Because of this sit at home, I came to pick some things in the market but I am not sure that I can enter the market because everywhere is locked,” Mr. Okolo lamented.

Others who say they have no money to replace their belongings cry out to the Enugu State Government and public spirited individuals to come to their aid.

CHUKWUBUIKE MADU

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