Natural disasters can happen anytime, and most times, we don’t even see them coming. I’ve witnessed a few in my life, though not too extreme, but serious enough to leave an impact. The one that really stuck with me was the flood that happened in Ikorodu, Lagos.
It wasn’t like those huge floods that completely bury buildings or destroy whole towns, but it was still very serious. That day started like every normal rainy season day. The sky was dark, and heavy rain had already started falling from the early hours of the morning. I remember thinking it would just be a normal rain that comes and goes. But this one didn’t stop. It kept pouring.
As the hours passed, the water started rising. Streets began to fill up slowly, and before anyone knew it, the water had already entered people’s compounds and homes. Some roads became rivers. The worst part was that there was nowhere for the water to go. Lagos is an island, so most times, when it rains heavily and for long hours, flood becomes a normal thing we face. But this one was different.
I later found out that it wasn’t just the heavy rainfall that caused it. The Cameroon dam had been opened, and the water made its way down, adding pressure to already flooded areas. That’s when everything just got worse. Drainages were full, the gutters had overflowed, and water was everywhere.
I saw people trying to scoop water out of their houses with bowls and buckets. Some even used small pumping machines, but the water was just too much. Homes were flooded, properties were damaged, and some families had to leave their houses for safety. It was painful to watch. There was panic everywhere, especially in the areas that were hit the hardest.
And sadly, I heard that two lives were lost due to the flood. It broke my heart. Those people probably didn’t expect anything serious to happen that day, just like the rest of us. But water is powerful, and when it has no control, it destroys anything in its way.
Even though my area wasn’t completely flooded, the whole experience made me realise how unprepared we can be for natural disasters. We live in a city surrounded by water, yet most drainages are blocked, and some people still build houses in places that are known to flood every year.
we need proper planning, better drainage systems, flood maps, and emergency alerts. If everyone does their part, especially with waste control, it will reduce how bad these floods get.
To anyone who might find themselves in a similar flood situation, my advice is: protect your important documents and valuables, keep your phone charged in case of emergency, and if you see the water rising too fast, leave your home immediately and find somewhere safe.
