A yet-to-be-ascertained number of residents of Trade Moore estate in Lugbe, Abuja, have been trapped by a flood caused by heavy rainfall on Friday.
Videos circulating online show several houses and vehicles submerged under water. As of the time of this report, efforts were ongoing to rescue those trapped in their houses.
In a situation report on the search and rescue efforts, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the driver of a Peugeot 406 with the registration number YLA 681 FS drowned in the flood and still missing.
“Four persons were rescued and in stable condition,” the report reads.
“Stakeholders responding to the flood are NEMA, Fire Service, FCT FEMA, Red Cross and federal ministry of environment-flood department respectively.”
Speaking with journalists on Friday, an official of the NEMA appealed to all those living in flood-prone areas of the estate to evacuate to a safer place.
“If you know you live in a house built in a flood-prone area, kindly move to a safer place even if for nothing but to save a life. Properties can go,” the unnamed NEMA official said.
“You can see how the water has submerged all these vehicles. Don’t underestimate the power of water, it can wash people away. We are pleading, we do not want the loss of lives this year.”
In September 2021, three persons died in the estate after a downpour that caused a heavy flood.
Vehicles were submerged, while several properties were destroyed during the flooding incident.
Residents of the estate had said the flooding is caused by the absence of an adequate drainage system.