Rainstorm Destroys Houses At Abule Egba

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Residents of Pipeline area of Abule Egba area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, have started counting their losses as heavy rainfall and thunderstorm wreaked havoc in the area.

Residents who took shelter in their houses were forced out as the roofs were blown off by the storm which occurred around 1.00 p.m on Thursday.

Affected areas are Ahmed Muhammed Street and Twins Okunebe Street, among others. After the storm abated, hundreds of residents were seen lamenting their losses, even as some would not be able to sleep in their houses today as the storm had damaged them.

On Ahmed Muhammed Street, a popular bar and Car Wash where people used to hang at night was damaged by the storm. The roof of the bar where blown off and substantial part of the building damaged.

Also, a church on the street built with wood and zinc was pulled down by the storm as rain gushed in to complete the damage on the place of worship.

At Twins Okunebe Street, several houses had their roofs blown off by the fierce wind as heavy rain gushed into people’s houses. A car belonging to a landlord had the back screen shattered by the roof blown from a two-storey building.

Some electric polls in the area were felled by the storm.

Residents in the area have called on the Lagos State Government and Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, to come to their aid.

A landlord in the area, John Okunebe said it happened suddenly around 1.00p.m yesterday when the weather suddenly grew dark “and in a short period, it started to rain and within 30 minutes the rain lasted, several roofs were removed.”

“We thank God that the children were still in school when the incident occurred or there may have been casualty,” he said.

Okunebe called on the state government to come to the aid of the people as some would not be able to sleep in their houses as they had been damaged.

A tenant in one of the houses at Twins Okunebe Street, Mrs. Happiness John, told P.M. NEWS that she was forced to run out of her room when its roof blew off and rain started pouring inside, adding that the loaves of bread she was selling were blown away by the wind.

“I heard a bang and the zinc of my room was removed and thrown down by the wind,” she told our reporter.

Another victim, Mrs Funke Olaniawo had her shop destroyed by the rainstorm while most of her provisions were destroyed by the rainstorm. She called on government for help.

A former councillor in Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA and now the Chairman, Ifesowapo Community Development Association, Mr. Gbenro Akerele commiserated with residents of the area, describing the incident as a natural disaster.

“It is a natural disaster and every concerned person must show concern. That is why I have come out to see things for myself and sympathise with the people,” he said.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

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