A 74-year-old blind man in Enugu, Nigeria, spent several hours trapped and soaked in his home after a severe windstorm ripped the roof off his residence, leaving him unable to escape due to his visual impairment. The incident occurred at a compound in Ugbo Ezeji, D-Line, Abakpa Nike, where the storm damaged the building housing 23 families and destroyed personal property. Mr. Stephen Ogbo, a native of Nkanu East Local Government Area who had lived in the compound for eight years, recounted the terrifying experience of being helpless in the dark until an unidentified female tenant came to his aid.
According to Ogbo, the woman approached him after he had been stranded in the water for hours. "The female tenant came to me after several hours but couldn’t find any way to escape as a blind man," Ogbo recalled. "She said: 'Daddy, we have been trapped by the windstorm.'" The rescuer, whose name Ogbo does not know, held him and guided him out of the destroyed structure to find safe shelter. "I do not know the name of the woman who came to my rescue, but the voice was a woman’s voice," he stated.
Local resident and woman leader Mrs. Promise Ugochukwu described the storm as devastating, noting that strong winds struck between 9pm and 10pm, tearing off the roof and allowing rainwater to damage household belongings. The sudden destruction turned an ordinary evening into a nightmare for the occupants, who were left struggling to salvage their possessions and find temporary shelter.
Reconstruction Efforts Begin
Days after the disaster, relief efforts commenced following a public appeal by the victims. Chief Kingsley Chizoba Nweke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for the Enugu East Senatorial District, visited the affected residents after watching a video of their plea for assistance. Nweke announced that building materials had been purchased and contractors mobilized to begin reconstructing the damaged home.
"It’s a pity, actually. If you look at the roof, it is damaged, and the place is messed up," Nweke said. "I saw them interviewed two days ago and they cried out that they needed help. That touched me so much, so I said it was important that I come to their rescue. We have bought the materials, mobilized the contractors, and the work has already commenced." He explained that the project involves reinforcing the affected structures and replacing damaged roofs to allow residents to return to their homes.
Nweke emphasized that his intervention was humanitarian rather than political, stating, "This is not politically motivated. If they were wearing the caps of a different party and they said they needed help, I would still come. They just need help, not because of party." Mrs. Ugochukwu expressed gratitude for the response, saying, "When I cried out to my father, Odaa Opuo (Nweke), the man whom I trusted, he answered me." Ogbo also expressed his thanks and prayed for guidance in Nweke’s political career.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
