Normal business activities were paralysed as residents and motorists battled with the effects of early Monday morning torrential rainfall in Lagos that caused significant traffic gridlock due to flash floods affecting roads and submerging various homes across the metropolis.
Recall that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, had earlier predicted thundery and rainy weather activities across the nation from Monday to Wednesday, warning of possible flash floods in some areas.
NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday in Abuja envisaged morning thunderstorms on Monday with moderate rains over parts of Adamawa, Taraba, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina, in the northern region, as well as Lagos in the southwest States.
The agency envisaged cloudy skies over the southern region with chances of light rain over parts of Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ogun, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa states during the morning hours.
According to it, light rains are expected over parts of Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Lagos, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States later in the day.
The agency anticipated the high possibility of floods occurring over parts of Oyo, Ogun, Edo, and Delta States during the forecast period.
NiMet predicted morning thunderstorms on Tuesday over the northern region with moderate rains over parts of Taraba, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Zamfara States.
NiMet urged the public to avoid driving under heavy rain, and states with the possibility of flash floods were told to activate the emergency response system immediately.
“Ensure warm clothing for the vulnerable persons due to low night-time temperatures, and ensure that loose objects are fastened to avoid collisions.
“Disconnect electrical appliances from electrical sockets, and stay away from tall trees to avoid impact from falling branches and broken trees.
Airline operators get airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet for effective planning in their operations,” it said.
The agency advised the residents to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet by visiting its website, www.nimet.gov.ng.
In response to the downpour, Lagos State Government sued for calm from all residents as the state experienced heavy rainfall for over 14 hours with an assurance that the state has put in place resilient infrastructure to combat flash flooding.
Meanwhile, many roads, including Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ikorodu Road, Apapa, Alimosho, Lekki axis, Agege, Oworosonki, Ikotun, as well as the Long Bridge, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, among others have been submerged, resulting in traffic snarl and vehicles left stranded with houses and shops flooded. Most of the shops and markets around Ikeja, Agege, Maryland, Oshodi were seen shut as of 10 am.
Many motorists and commuters who dared to move out were stranded for hours on major roads in the metropolis due to the flooded roads and streets.
While the downpour, which started at about 12 midnight into early morning, continued intermittently on Monday. It witnessed heavily flooded roads both on the Island and Mainland sides of the state.
It was gathered that while traffic on some of the roads was standstill during the downpour, some others witnessed slow movement as motorists struggled to wade through the flash floods.
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