Torrential rain that lasted for two hours on Tuesday wreaked havoc in Ipogun community in Ifedore LGA of Ondo State, destroying property worth millions of naira.
The downpour, accompanied by a heavy storm, damaged several houses, shops, church buildings, electric poles, schools, and a part of the community’s health centre among others.
The incident came barely 24 hours after the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted that the country would witness normal rainfall earlier than the long-term average of 2023.
Daily Trust gathered that a Deeper Life Bible Church in the community was mostly hit as the rainstorm destroyed the iron roofing sheet and ceiling.
Some of the victims revealed that the rain, which started normal, grew worse, and the accompanying heavy storm began blowing off rooftops and destroying anything in its path.
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They said it was the third rainfall in the community in the last four days and the heaviest in decades, coming with snowdrops.
One of the victims, Ms Adeola Ajayi, said the rain destroyed her shop and goods.
“It was just too heavy, as we could not salvage anything while the downpour lasted.
“Over 200 houses were destroyed by the rain. So, we are begging Mr Governor (Rotimi Akeredolu) and other philanthropists to assist us,” she said.
A resident of the community simply identified as Kolawole, whose elderly father lost property to the rain, also called on the state government to assist them with relief materials.
Decrying the situation during his assessment of the damage, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government, Mr Tunde Fawoyi, called on both the state and federal lawmakers representing Ifedore to urgently come to the aid of the people.
Reacting to the incident, the traditional ruler of the community, the Adapogun of Ipogun, Oba Raphael Oluwadare Ojo, said it was the worst in recent years in the community.
He called on the relevant agencies of the state and federal governments for urgent assistance.
