Ibadan – Heavy Rainstorm kills family of three, destroys 1000 houses

 

A heavy rainfall in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, killed a family of three and destroyed about 1000 homes, residents have said.
The family- comprising of a man, his wife, and their child- died during the rain on Sunday night, in Sokas area of the city. The family were said to have recently moved into their new house on Saturday. A neighbour to the deceased confirmed the death which he described as sad.
The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Ayodele Lanade, declined comment on the death.
The Rainfall
Residents of Ibadan woke up on Monday to behold the devastating impact of the late night rain which cut across the city.
By Monday morning, almost 1,000 houses were said to have been damaged by the rain; with most of them having their roofs removed. The incident also rendered thousands of families homeless.
The rain, the first in 2013, started about 11:00 p.m. and lasted till the early hours of Monday. Some of the affected residents had to seek refuge in other neighbour’s houses.
Among the areas mostly affected are Amuloko, Apata, Odo-Ona, Ayeye, Felele, Basorun, Muslim, Soka, Fodasis, Ring Road, Baba Nla, Challenge, Molete, Olunloyo, where early morning commuters had hectic time moving out to their places of work.
Most PHCN poles in the affected areas were pulled off, leading to blackout in a large part of the ancient city.
At the Toll Gate area of Ibadan, many dispensing machines in the filling stations located there were uprooted and damaged, along with the roof of the stations; while some large billboards were felled by the storm.
The incident has created brisk business for carpenters and building materials sellers, who have been busy carrying out repairs on the damaged structures. Many owners said they wouldn’t want to delay repairs for fear that another rain would fall and damage their remaining property.
The Zonal Public Relations Officer of the Power Holding company of Nigeria, Ibadan Division, Jide Oyenuga, who spoke on the development, confirmed that the incident affected a number of their equipment, implying that services might be affected for a while.
“We are indeed aware of the destruction which the rainstorm has caused many residents of Ibadan. Our men have swung into action and repairs are already being carried out. Power has been restored around Ring Road as at 10 (a.m.) this morning.
“Many of the blown-off roofs fell on NEPA poles and wires. We are gradually sorting them out,” he said

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