How thunderstorm devastated Lagos communities

… Two killed, many homes in ruins Three weeks after a fierce midnight thunderstorm devastated their homes, many residents of some communities in the Ikorodu area of Lagos are still licking their wounds and counting their losses.Mrs. Regina Abraham, a member of Spirit Life Evangelical Church, had looked forward to the usual boisterous Sunday service the next day in her local church at Mowo Nla, a community near Ijede in the Ikorodu area. But that was not to be, as a devastating thunderstorm tore through the community in the night, reducing the worship arena built in 2009 to a pile of rubble. The over 70 worshippers who had converged for the service had to, according to Mrs. Abraham, “courageously” conduct the day’s worship in the open. “By the time I got to church with my family that Sunday morning, the church was no longer standing where it was. It had been levelled with most of the church’s property blown off far away from the location. Most of us who went early to clean the church could not believe our eyes. It was sad. We are yet to recover from the loss,” she said. Like a meteor that strikes, leaving in its trail vast destruction, the thunderstorm tore through about seven communities in Ikorodu area of Lagos, leaving behind a harvest of grief, agony and losses. A woman and her child were also killed by the thunderstorm. The affected communities, which cuts across Ijede Local Council Development Area include Oke Eletu, Powerline, Jajo, Shonle, Magbon, Ifesokan and Mowo Nla. Many residents of these communities are yet to come to terms with their losses after the natural disaster that wreaked considerable havoc on their communities. Just like the church that was levelled to its foundation with its worshipper left in the lurch, several people have since been rendered homeless and are presently taking shelter in homes of benevolent neighbours. Even as the injured are getting back to their homes after getting treated in the hospital, the impact of the storm would no doubt remain with residents of the affected communities for a long time, even though are trying hard to pick up the bits and pieces of their once normal lives. In Mowo Nla, the most affected community, residents are still dazzled by the happening, even as they have not relented in their prayers to forestall such calamity in the future. According to the Secretary of Mowo Nla Community Development Association, Mr. Dada Ebenezer, the storm was preceded by a rain, adding that when the rain started at about 9.pm on that Saturday, he thought it was a normal one until it turned into a wild wind. His words: “The whole destruction that you see happened in less than 30 minutes. Immediately it was over, I came out and saw that the whole place had been turned upside down. It was a terrible sight that almost brought tears to my eyes.” Describing the thunderstorm as unprecedented in the history of the community, the chairman of Ifesokan Community Development Association, Mr. Niyi Oladapo, said the storm took them by surprise and caused total destruction within 30 minutes. Oladapo, who disclosed that he had lived in the community for the past eight years, said several injured residents were still undergoing treatment in the hospital. He said it was baffling that such calamity could befall the peaceful community. Oladapo further disclosed that when the storm started, there was pandemonium as roofs were blown kilometres away and fences pulled down in succession. High tension cables and other means of electricity supply to the community, he noted, were also destroyed. “It was a scary development. We were all afraid and confused at the same time. As it is now, we don’t know when electricity supply would be restored to this area. It is even very dangerous for us as several cables are still lying dangerously around the area. The storm destroyed so many things, including houses, roofs, and fences. Many of our people are still in the hospital. Just in our community alone, over 15 houses were destroyed. Some of the houses that were destroyed were under construction. Even houses believed to be very strong did not escape the impact of the storm,” he said. He made a passionate appeal to the Lagos State government to come to the aid of those affected by the thunderstorm, noting that many of them have nowhere to stay after the incident. “Many people had their houses totally destroyed by the thunderstorm. Most have lost their means of livelihood, including vital documents. I just pity them. The state government should step in to make life worth living again for them by providing them with relief materials and, possibly, money to start life afresh,” he pleaded. Honourable Fasasi Oyetunde, councillor representing the constituency, said he got several distress calls from people within the community when the incident happened and was devastated by what he saw. “That Saturday was the saddest day for me. It was indeed a pitiable sight. It was so terrible because many people were affected, including schools and churches,” he said, adding that mostly affected were mud houses inhabited by old couples. Oyetunde also solicited the support of the state government to help reconstruct the community and to ensure that life returns to normal for victims of the thunderstorm. For honourable Sherif Aniponle, Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government Area, the devastation was beyond pathetic, even as he prayed for God to grant those that lost their lives eternal rest. While stressing the need for landlords and builders to adhere to building codes by ensuring that they don’t use substandard materials during building construction, he thanked the Lagos State government for responding promptly to the calls of the residents by coming to the aid of the affected communities. Meanwhile, The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has embarked on enumeration and assessment of the affected communities to determine how the thunderstorm victims could be assisted with relief materials to cushion the effect of the incident. According to the Managing Director of LASEMA, Mr. Femi Osanyintolu, the incident was very pathetic and the state government was very concerned about the affected victims. The government, he informed, has embarked on steps to ensure that life returns to normal for them. Part of the steps already put in place was the enumeration and assessment exercise, which would ensure that relief materials get evenly distributed to victims, he said. “Since the incident occurred, we have constantly visited the communities. We are also trying to ensure appropriate follow-up visits to the victims to ensure speedy and smooth transition to normal daily life,” he said.