Motorists stranded as flood overruns Lagos communities

Vehicular and business activities were paralysed across parts of Lagos State on Wednesday after hours of heavy downpour triggered flash floods in several communities in the state.

Societywatch Metro observed that the downpour wreaked havoc in flood-prone areas across the state, which included Maryland, Lekki, Ogba, and Ikorodu.

This is as residents and business owners lamented how their homes and shops were overrun by the flood.

Similarly, multiple videos seen across social media platforms by our correspondents showed residents wading through their flooded neighbourhoods, while motorists were also seen moving at a slow pace on flooded roads.

On Olatunji Street in Maryland, the overflow of a canal cut off access to the adjoining Mende community.

A resident, Chinasa Nnadi, said the flood had been a recurring sight whenever it rained and as long as the residents in both neighbourhoods could remember.

She said, “This has been happening for years now, and it’s very hard for vehicles to go in or out of there. People even swim to their houses. It is not easy for people living around there to come out of their houses because the flood is too much. Some will even go as far as relocating to another place due to the flood.”

A business owner who identified himself simply as Kalu and had lived there for three years said he was amazed at how quickly the flood spread across the street.

He said, “I watched as people tried to scoop water out of their homes after it entered their houses. I also suffered the same fate as the water flowed into my shop.”

A member of a church in the area, identified simply as Christiana, also narrated how the worship centre was flooded, destroying some instruments in the process.

She said, “The flood has affected our church’s musical instruments. We will have to spend lots of money either to fix or replace them. When the canal is full, the water gets into the church, and it reaches half the building of the church, it causes extreme damage.”

The downpour, however, compounded the woes of motorists and pedestrians as they were trapped in the gridlock that built up on several flooded roads across the state.