In a heavy downpour on Friday, at least 116 houses at the popular Trademore Estate in Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were submerged, and property worth hundreds of millions of naira was damaged.
Dr. Abbas G.Idriss, Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), confirmed this in a statement on Friday.
According to the rescue agency, four more people were rescued and were in stable condition.
During the downpour, residents of the estate were seen trying to save their lives and salvage their property after their houses were submerged.
Trademore Estate has been devastated by flooding over the years, with lives and property worth billions of naira lost.
Residents of the estate, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief during the 2022 rainy season, as they were not flooded despite the year’s heavy rainfalls.
The estate’s owner had completed re-engineering remediation work that included the expansion of gutters and the demolition of buildings along flood plains.
As of the time of filing this report, NEMA, Fire Service, FCT FEMA, Red Cross, and the Federal Ministry of Environment-Flood Department were the stakeholders responding to the flood on the estate.
Idris claimed that the floods were caused by infractions on the water channel and urged residents whose homes are built on it to relocate.
According to the FEMA director, Trademore is on a water channel and thus vulnerable to flooding.
He stated that the floods had receded and thanked all stakeholders, particularly the residents, for their efforts and cooperation in ensuring that no lives were lost.
Despite the fact that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency NIHSA had predicted heavy floods in the FCT this rainy season, he appealed to residents of the Estate whose homes are located on the water channel to relocate.
In the event of an emergency, the FEMA administrator urged residents to dial the 112 Emergency toll-free number.