Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in Bauchi

Several houses were ravaged by the flood.

A heavy rainfall in Bauchi on Monday evening caused flooding in some areas of the town and submerged some houses and roads.

A Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the rain fell from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Places worst affected by the flood were Fadaman Mada, Yelwa, Gwallaga, GRA and Palace Road.

At Fadaman Mada area, residents were seen trying to remove water from their apartments, while some motorcyclists who tried to ply the flooded highways, fell into the fast-moving flood. Some on-lookers had to intervene to rescue some of the cyclists who struggled to get out of the water to avoid drowning.

Ibrahim Hambali, a resident of Fadaman Mada, said that he was in the office when his wife telephoned to inform him that their apartment had been overtaken by flood.

“I quickly rushed home after the rain had ceased, only to discover that my entire property had been soaked and my family, helpless,” he said.

Another resident, Usman Osculator, whose residence was flooded for the second time, appealed to the appropriate authorities to construct additional drains in the area.

He also called for the expansion of the existing ones to cope with the volume of water that usually accompanied heavy r5ains.

When contacted on the development, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Information, Mohammad Damina, and the Chairman, State Emergency Operation Team, Inuwa Bello, said they had yet to receive reports of any mishap.

“The rainfall was massive as such I will not be surprised if casualties were recorded. But for now, we are yet to receive any report of mishap. The picture will be clear by tomorrow,” said Mr. Bello.

However, Tata Balarabe, Bauchi State Director of Fire Service, said that his men rescued someone that got drowned in a large culvert close to Bauchi Investment Company.

“The heavy water current was almost taking away the man when my men arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call.

“He was eventually rescued and taken to the hospital and as at the time my staff left, he was still alive,” he said.

Bauchi is one of the 14 states the government warned would experience heavy rainfall this week.

Source: Premium Times