The Lagos State Government has urged residents to remain calm following the flash flood caused by the torrential rainfall that hit the state in the early hours of Wednesday.
Tokunbo Wahab, the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, revealed in a statement that Lagos has seen almost 9 hours of uninterrupted rain since Wednesday morning.
He noted that this is in addition to the heavy rainfall that the state has been experiencing on a daily basis since last week, which has caused the Lagos lagoon to rise.
Wahab stated that the flash floods that overwhelmed Iyana Oworo, which connects the Third Mainland to many other areas, will recede after the rains stop and the lagoon level drops.
The Commissioner further stated that the state has deployed officials from the Emergency Flood Abatement Gang to significant black spots, including Iyana Oworo, which has been cleared of all blockages.
He urged everyone in low-lying areas to relocate to higher ground as soon as possible to save their lives and property.
He also encouraged citizens to avoid wading through floods in their vehicles, since it only takes a few feet of running water at high tide to sweep away a vehicle, regardless of the number of occupants.
The Commissioner also advised residents to use the daily weather forecasts given by the State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources as a guide for their daily itinerary.
He stressed that Lagos is a coastal city with over one-third of its land mass underwater, which provides a compelling cause for every inhabitant to be more concerned about the state of the environment.
