ONDO State government has ordered residents of flood-prone areas to evacuate after a flood hit some parts of Ondo town on Friday, October 4.
The flood, which destroyed property worth millions of naira, came after a heavy rainfall that lasted for several hours hit the ancient town.
Areas mostly affected include Odo, Oka, Itanla, Ijomu, Akure-Ondo Expressway, and Bethlehem, among others.
Reports indicate that many houses and vehicles were submerged in the affected areas.
Some victims have also reportedly moved out of their houses to seek shelter elsewhere.
However, no loss of life was recorded.
Reacting to the disaster, the state government, through the commissioner for environment, Oyeniyi Oseni, on Saturday, October 5, said it had directed evacuation in the affected areas and quick response had begun to limit further damages.
The government emphasised that it had put strategies in place to prevent a recurrence.
It added that it had deployed amphibious excavators into critical erosion-prone areas in the state for dredging.
“The cause of the flooding on Friday also could be attributed to development on waterways in an estate at Fagun and along the Ife Road area of the community,” the commissioner stated.
Oseni added that his ministry would work with relevant government agencies to address illegal dredging around the waterways.
The Ondo flood came a few weeks after the flood crisis in Maiduguri, Borno State, left residents of the North-East state panicking.
A reporter with the ICIR
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