Posted by By Femi Makinde, Port Harcourt on
Residents of Diobu area of Port Harcourt affected by last Friday's flood were gripped by fear as more rain threatened on Sunday....
Residents of Diobu area of Port Harcourt affected by last Friday's flood were gripped by fear as more rain threatened on Sunday.
Vehicles submerged in one of the Port-Harcourt Scenes
They were seen in groups discussing what to do should a heavy rain fall again.
Although some residents had returned to their homes and the garbage that blocked the drains, leading to the flood, had been cleared, people were still not comfortable staying indoors.
Salvaged household items, which could still be repaired, were scattered on the streets, while important documents were spread on mats to dry.
Some people were still busy scooping water from their rooms, while others were mopping theirs when our correspondent visited on Sunday afternoon.
A nursing mother, Mrs. Amina Dappa, who was feeding her child inside a bus told our correspondent that the 'danfo" bus had become a temporary room until her flooded room was fit for living.
'Those who can afford it are staying in hotels for now. But for somebody like me, this is where I have been sleeping since Friday," she said.
Several dumpsites had suddenly emerged on the streets as heaps of torn mattresses, rags, pillows, shoes and broken upholstered chairs caused traffic snarl.
The flood at the premises of the Federal Road Safety Commission had been drained and workers were seen going in and out of the premises.
The blocked lane on Aba Road had also been opened to motorists and traffic was light.
Some of the shop owners told our correspondent that they were still counting their losses and could not estimate how much had been lost to the flood until proper stock had been taken.
A proprietor of a dry cleaning outfit at Uyo Street was seen mourning his losses.
Although he refused to speak with our correspondent, a neighbour said that his machines and generators had been spoilt by the flood.
She said, 'Many of his clients' clothes were swept away, while some are stained and there is nothing left for him to work with since his machines are no longer working."
A chemist beside the dry cleaning shop also suffered a similar fate as his drugs and other items were swept away, while some were soaked.
The rain that caused the flood started at around 2am on Friday and did not stop until late in the evening.
Some of the worst affected buildings are the FRSC office, the Rivers State Library, Bethesda Liberation Ministry, RISOPALM, the defunct Savannah Bank office, Mike Dad Nig Ltd, and about 500 residential buildings.
Vehicles parked on streets overnight were completely submerged by the flood, which did not recede until Saturday evening.
Some residents, especially women and children, were trapped inside their buildings until the situation became normal on Sunday.
The State Government has also appealed to Port Harcourt resident to stop dumping refuse and other wastes into canals and gutters.
The Special Adviser to Governor Peter Odili on Environment and Sanitation Matters, Mr. Ipalibo Harry, made the appeal while supervising the cleaning of the blocked canal.