By Izunna Okafor, Awka
An Anambra-based journalist, Mr. Uchenna Ezeadigwe is currently in a devastating condition as flood submerged and damaged all the property in his house, following a heavy rain that badgered in the late hours of Friday, June 28.
The incident happened at the residence of the journalist, located at the Emeritus Estate, Pat Clara Close, at Commissioners Quarters in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
According to videos from the scene of the incident obtained by this reporter, Izunna Okafor; the laptops, documents/credentials, home theater, foams, fridge, stabilizer, footwears, and many other belongings of the journalist were all submerged and destroyed by the flood.
Even a bag of garri the journalist recently bought to help his life was also submerged by the flood, including his soup pot and kitchen utensils.
It was also gathered that the houses and property of some staff of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, living in the same Commissioners Quarters were similarly affected and ravaged by the flood that lasted from 5.pm to about 12 midnight.
When contacted by this reporter, the journalist, Mr. Ezeadigwe, who works with the News Echo Newspaper said he felt so devastated by the incident, lamenting that even all his research works and writings, both the printed ones and those contained in the laptop, are all gone.
Recounting his experience, he said he was at the Aroma Junction, Awka, yesterday where he was filing up some news reports, before he got a call, alerting him to rush back home, as flood had invaded his residence and was already wrecking havocs therein.
This, he said, made him to rush home under the heavy rain that was badgering then, only to discover that all his belongings were already drenched and submerged, with many of his documents already floating on the flood.
Ezeadigwe, a young hardworking journalist, regretted that this is befalling him at a time when it is even difficult for one to live and survive in Nigeria, given the current inflation rate and the general economic realities in the country.
When asked if such incident had been occurring in the past, Ezeadigwe, who is also the Chairman of the Quarters Youths Association at the Commissioners Quarters, said no, but explained that there were some interventional and expansion works that ought to be done at the key drainages and erosion channels in the area to control and properly channel the flood coming down from the Government House region, but which were neglected.
He further revealed that they had repeatedly called for intervention in the area, and even mobilized themselves financially to do some few palliative works they could do in the area, but which didn’t still thoroughly arrest the situation, only for heavy flood to pull down a fence and forcefully broke into the compound yesterday, interloping into people’s houses one after the other and wrecking havocs. He also explained that many of them were not at home when the incident happened.
According to him, the flood, occasioned by the heavy rain that lasted for over hours, has adversely affected him, with many implication, as he would now be forced to start re-buying all his damaged belongings again and reworking all his files destroyed by the cantankerous flood.
“Where will I start from now, my brother? I have lost almost everything! Why is this kind of thing happening in such a time as this, with this present economic crunch in this country? This is very very unfortunate! I don’t even know where to start from,” he lamented in a telephone interview with this reporter, Izunna Okafor.
While confirming that the houses and property of a nursing mother and some UNIZIK staff were also damaged by the flood, journalist Ezeadigwe further called for the urgent intervention and assistance of the government to help cushion and ameliorate the effects of the flood on them.
When contacted by this reporter, the Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Felix Odimegwu, revealed that his Ministry had carried out some enforcements and interventional works at the said area of the Commissioners Quarters, including where a resident blocked a drainage channel.
He, however, said he was not aware of the said reported incident of flood invading and wrecking havocs in people’s homes; even as he pledged to urgently visit the scene for first-hand information and further actions.
Watch the videos below:
