Scores of residents were forced out of their homes on Monday as heavy rainfall submerged houses, shops, schools and roads across several communities in Delta State.
The affected areas include parts of Warri South, Uvwie, Ughelli North and South, Udu and Okpe Local Government Areas.
The downpour began on Sunday night and continued until about 5pm on Monday, leaving several communities inundated.
Residents in the affected areas were seen salvaging household items and other belongings, while some businesses could not open as floodwaters took over their premises.
In Uvwie, communities including Ugbomro, Alegbo, Alaka, Ugbolokposo, Effurun-Sapele Road, Shaguolo and Niger-Cat were badly affected.
Houses, shops and schools were either submerged or surrounded by floodwater, leaving residents stranded.
In Warri, residents of Ubeji, Okere, Abala Street near Third Marine Gate and Okumagba Avenue also reported flooding of roads and residential areas.
A resident of Abala Street, Dede Victor, said the problem recurred during the rainy season.
‘We experience this almost every rainy season. Once the rain continues for more than a day, the road becomes flooded because there is nowhere for the water to go,’ he said.
The flooding was also reported in Agbarho, Ughelli North, particularly around the East-West Road axis of Orido Junction through Esiso and Oviri.
Parts of Udu, including Orhuwhorun and Odjikpata, were also affected, with floodwater covering roads and entering homes.
Residents of Otokutu and Jeddo in Ughelli South similarly reported flooding following the downpour.
At Okuokoko in Okpe Local Government Area, a resident said several families around Princess Jokoh Close, off Freshville and Nehemiah Streets, near the Osubi-Okuokoko boundary, were displaced by the flood.
‘The downpour has sacked other neighbours and me from our home at Princess Jokoh Close, off Freshville and Nehemiah Streets, in Okuokoko, close to the boundary between Osubi and Okuokoko, in Okpe, Delta State.
‘All my properties have been destroyed. My entire apartment is currently submerged.
‘There are no drains in Nehemiah Street, while the newly constructed Freshville Street connecting Osubi is not connected to anywhere. All the water emptied into our close and homes,’ the resident said.
The resident appealed for urgent intervention, saying the absence of functional drainage had compounded the flooding in the area.
Other affected residents similarly appealed to the government and relevant authorities to provide emergency assistance, evacuate trapped residents where necessary and address drainage challenges blamed for repeated flooding.
The latest flooding has renewed concerns among residents over the state of drainage infrastructure in parts of the Warri metropolis and adjoining communities, particularly as the rainy season continues.