Uyo Flood Victims Share Their Stories, Urge Government Help

Victims of the flood that hit Uyo have started to share their experiences.

The flood came after heavy rain that lasted all night on Thursday. It damaged many homes and left many residents without shelter.

On Friday, one victim, who only gave his name as Idongesit, told our reporter in Uyo that he could not save any of his things because his house was completely underwater.

“I woke up in the middle of the night to see the raging flood, and before I could do anything, the whole area had been overtaken by the flood. I tried, but I could not rescue a single item from my house. All my clothes, the mattress and everything else were destroyed by the flood,” Idongesit said.

He urged the state government to help the victims quickly.

“My appeal is that the state government should come to the aid of the victims without delay. It is a very serious disaster,” he added.

Another resident, Mr Christian Etim, who lives on Tabernacle Road, described the situation as terrible. He also called for immediate action from the government to ease the pain of those affected.

“It was a very devastating experience. The whole of Tabernacle Road is flooded. People are suffering. The government should urgently do something to assist the victims of this disaster,” he said.

Mr Udo Okon, who lives on Ekemba Street, one of the hardest-hit areas, said he had to escape his flooded home with his wife and children to find safety.

“We lost everything to the flood. In fact, I ran out of the flooded house with my wife and children to a safer place when the flood had taken over the entire building,” Okon said.

Our reporter found that thousands have been left homeless after the flood swept through homes and businesses due to several hours of heavy rainfall on Thursday night.

The worst-affected areas include Abak Road, Ekemba Street, Uwah Street, and Aka Itiam Street, among other residential neighborhoods.

One victim shared a video of the flooded area, expressing worry about the safety of others after an entire building was submerged.

“I am calling on the state government to come to our aid. I am not sure of the safety of other occupants of the houses. Our residence has been overrun by the flood,” he said in the video.

While some residents blamed the flooding on poor building work by contractors handling road projects, experts said it was due to climate change.