Kanyi Okeke
Residents of Ago-Are in Atisbo and Iseyin local government areas of Oyo State have been rendered homeless following a rainstorm that destroyed about 115 houses on Monday. Though no life was lost in the incident, no fewer than 30 houses collapsed during the rainstorm while the roofs of scores of others were blown off.
The rain that started about 8pm wrecked havoc for than one hour in the affected areas. While counting their losses, Chief Taiwo Fabunmi told Vanguard that property worth millions of naira were destroyed while scores of residents were left homeless.
The community leader said the local government chairman visited the area and advised those affected to write their names for possible help from the council.
The storm was a repeat of similar disasters in Ibadan on August 31, 1980 and August 26, 2011. On both dates, residents of the Oyo State capital were left mourning after the rains claimed many lives and destroyed properties.
The 2011 disaster affected virtually every part of Ibadan and communities mostly affected were in Oluyole, Iddo, Akinyele, Lagelu, Ibadan South-West, Egbeda, North-West, and North-East local government areas.
The downpour resulted in serious gridlock and commuters were stranded on their way home. Many eventually slept in their workplaces, hotels and abode of friends.
Also, many motorists abandoned their vehicles on the road, either as a result of mechanical faults or out of fear of being washed away by the flood.
In Oluyole Estate, behind Vine Hospital, a man who was trying to escape through the ceiling when his house was flooded, got stuck and eventually died.
In Agbowo/UI area of the town, no fewer than 15 people, mostly children, lost their lives to the downpour. Around Ile- Eja/Carpenter area of Agbowo, it was a gory sight and a tale of sorrow and tears as many people could be seen swarming round dead bodies of children and grown-up victims of the flood.
Some of the dead victims, according to reports included four children of the same father and their grandfather, another set of children and about five grown-ups.
