Heavy Floods Wreak Havoc On Calabar Residents, Roads
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – Residents of Calabar, the Cross River State capital are in serious torment lamenting the havoc wreaked on them by heavy flooding that ravaged the major roads and popular spots across the city on Friday.
The distressing incident, which occurred shortly after a heavy downpour on Friday afternoon, left on its trail ugly scenes of devastation and agony as major roads were made impassable by flood with motorists trapped in a harrowing traffic holdup for hours.
Among the hardest hit areas was the every busy Murtala Mohammed highway as vehicles and commuters from the northern parts of the state as well as outside the state were trapped in the heavy flooding that took over the popular Beebobsco junction.
Not sparred the day’s traumatic experiences were residents and businesses along major streets like MCC Road, Efio-Ete Junction, Parliamentary Road, and the popular Marian market opposite Calabar Municipal Government Secretariat in Calabar municipality. Here, motorists and pedestrians got huge goose pimples as they had remained in long queues for hours waiting for the flood to subside.
In Calabar South Local Government Area, where poor drainage and indiscriminate littering of refuse along streets is the order of the day, motorists were not spared the misfortune and unpleasant experience of flood drama.
Our correspondent reports that the CALABAR Canal Channel One, which empties into the River behind the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), overflowed its bank leading to the heavy flooding witnessed along major streets in the area.
Also, Target Road by Goldie Road junction, by the Calabar Zoo Garden, Mayne Avenue by Atakpa Street, and Yellow Duke by Inyang Street witnessed a rare form of flooding as nearby houses and residents had hectic moments battling to save their household items and livestock from being washed away by the ravaging flood.
One of the affected residents at Target Road was uncouth to the point of almost venting his anger on our correspondent who approached him for comments about the ‘Black Friday’ flooding in Calabar.
