Torrents displace families in Ondo
Hundreds of travellers were stranded for hours on Wednesday after torrential rainfall submerged a section of the Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway in Odigbo Local Council of Ondo State, bringing traffic on the busy highway to a standstill.
The flooding, triggered by several hours of heavy rain, left motorists trapped in gridlock stretching several kilometres as drivers struggled to navigate the submerged roadway.
The road is a major transport corridor linking the South-West with other parts of the country and serves as a key route for the movement of passengers, petroleum products and goods.
The impact of the downpour extended beyond the highway, with several communities across the state also badly affected.
In Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo West Local Council, floodwaters inundated Itanla Junction, Onipakala Junction and the UNIMED Road, destroying property worth millions of naira.
Several vehicles, including those belonging to staff of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), were damaged as workers attempted to get to their offices.
Communities in Odigbo, Irele, Ode-Aye and Igbokoda also experienced severe flooding, forcing many residents to flee their homes in search of safer locations.
Although no deaths or injuries were reported, many families were displaced while businesses and homes were submerged.
Residents blamed the scale of the flooding on the prolonged rainfall, poor drainage and blocked waterways.
Frustrated motorists described the ordeal as avoidable and called for urgent government intervention to prevent a recurrence.
One of the stranded travellers, Joshua Oladele, said the experience was traumatic.
“Everyone was stranded. We never imagined that the Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway could be overtaken by floods. The government needs to intervene urgently to prevent this from happening again,” he said.
Residents of the affected communities echoed the same concerns, urging the state government and relevant agencies to tackle the perennial flooding that continues to threaten life and property during the rainy season.
Responding to the situation, the Ondo State Government sympathised with residents affected by the disaster and assured them that emergency measures had been activated to contain the impact.
The Commissioner for Environment, Tob Loko, said the government had previously identified and mapped several flood-prone areas for intervention, adding that recent videos and photographs from the latest flooding had revealed additional locations requiring urgent assessment.
He acknowledged that emergency teams might not be able to reach every affected community immediately but assured residents that the government remained committed to a coordinated and sustained response.
Loko disclosed that amphibious excavators were being deployed through the Office of the Special Assistant to the Governor on Technical and Ecological Control to strategic locations for emergency clearing of blocked waterways and channelisation works.
He also urged residents to promptly report flooding and other environmental concerns to the Ministry of Environment and relevant agencies, stressing that public cooperation would be crucial in mitigating future disasters.
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