Residents of several communities in Monrovia and its suburbs have been made homeless as a result of heavy downpour. A tour by the New Dawn to several flooded communities, including Water Street, St. Paul Bridge, Doe Community and Chocolate City, respectively, among others discovered that homes, business centers, including garages are being flooded.
Affected residents lament that drainages in their communities have been filled with dirt, leaving water to enter their homes. Mr. William Tucker Harmon, a victim of the flood notes that since the past four years, residents of his community have not been able to clean the drainage to provide passage for the water.
He says the situation has constrained them to seek shelter at nearby neighbors’ houses because the flooding has overwhelmed their communities. Tucker explains that he along with several others lost personal belongings as a direct result of the flood.
Several victims were also seen tooting personal effects such as mattresses, cooking utensils, electrical appliances and bags of rice on the main St. Paul Bridge Road which remains a safer place for their properties.
He indicates that those who have vehicles are being forced to park them outside of the community due to the situation. Liberians usually experience flood in mostly slum communities due to the continue dumping of dirt into drainages by residents thereby, making it difficult if not impossible for water to pass thru those drainages.
In other parts of Monrovia, heavy rain storm has left several homes destroyed with some residents sustaining injuries and deaths. Victims are calling on the Ministry of Public Works to intervene by re-opening clogged drainages that are contributing to the situation.
By Emmanuel Mondaye
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