Oguta, the country home of the late maverick politician Senator Arthur Nzeribe, and 14 other communities in Oguta Local Government Area, Imo State have been submerged by flood as a result of the overflowing Oguta Blue Lake.

The incident followed the heavy rains experienced in the past days. The river bank overflowed and the flood destroyed both farmlands and personal belongings worth several millions of naira.

Many buildings, including hotels, were also submerged when The Nation visited the area yesterday.

Many residents at Amaraocha in Oguta LGA abandoned their homes to seek shelter in safer environments while some people were seen trying to salvage what remained of their personal belongings.

Some of the fleeing residents told our correspondent that many of them could not save their property as they were taken unawares by the ravaging flood

One of the victims, Eugene Nworlu, said: “My children and I were sleeping when suddenly all our mattresses were soaked by the flood.

“When I woke up, I saw our beds and other properties floating on water.”

He called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the state government and the federal government to come to the aid of the peopl

Contacted, the Head of Imo/Abia Operations Office of NEMA, Ifeanyi Nnaji, said the agency had visited about 12 communities affected by the flood.

He however said that the agency had earlier carried out community awareness campaigns about impending flooding that might arise from sudden overflowing of the lake.

“Suddenly, the flood is already on the ground. I was there last Friday to assess the extent of damage and my advice to the communities was for them to vacate the areas.

Source: The Nation