Heavy flooding caused by torrential rains on Monday and Tuesday has inundated numerous homes and commercial properties in the Warri South, Uvwie, and Udu Local Government Areas of Delta State, Nigeria. The deluge has disrupted daily life, forcing residents and business owners to bail out water from their apartments and stores while navigating deep pools of water on major thoroughfares.
Along Okere Road in Warri, the impact was particularly severe, with residential apartments and business premises heavily submerged. A local salon operator reported significant financial losses, stating that she lost hair wigs worth approximately N2 million belonging to customers who had brought them for revamping. She also noted that her shop’s generator was destroyed after floodwater entered the premises.
Residents in the affected areas have attributed the extensive flooding along the Okere Road axis to a blocked canal. They claim the waterway, which is designed to evacuate rainwater, has been filled with debris, preventing the free flow of water. In response, local youths were observed on Tuesday attempting to clear the canal beneath the bridge near the Warri Correction Centre to alleviate the situation pending intervention by local government authorities.
The rising waters have also hampered transportation, with motorists and commercial tricycle operators struggling to navigate flooded sections of Ogunu, Airport, and Jakpa roads. Some commuters were forced to wade through deep pools of water to continue their journeys. Additionally, the flooding has disrupted educational activities in several public schools in Udu Local Government Area, prompting some parents to keep their children at home due to safety concerns.
“Flood has turned into something else. Houses have been taken over and there have been stories of the flood sweeping away children and even adults across the state, so I kept my children at home until the water level goes down,” said resident Madam Oghenewhede.
Residents in the affected communities have appealed to relevant local government authorities to implement urgent and lasting measures to address the recurring flooding and improve drainage infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned that approximately 15 states, including communities along the coastal fringes of the Niger Delta, could experience severe flooding between September 19 and 25, 2026.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
