Rivers Flood: Churches Use Abandoned Buildings, Open Fields For Sunday Service

Several churches yesterday resorted to the use of abandoned buildings and open fields for services following the flooding of several church premises in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State.

This is as the state government has begun the desilting of major canals and drainages in order to tackle the menace.

Also churches which planned special programmes during the weekend were forced to cancel them.

Areas affected by the flood are Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Harmony Estate, New GRA, Peter Odili Road, Eneka, Rukpokwu and Alakahia.

Others are Oyigbo, Atali, Mgbuoba, Rumuoparali, Ogbogoro, Egbelu, Cornerstone and Iwofe in Port Harcourt metropolis.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP, a leader in one of the new generation churches in Rukpokwu community, who pleaded for anonymity, said the church had to hire canopies and chairs to hold Sunday service in an uncompleted building.

Also, a member of a pentecostal church, who simply identified himself as Brother Israel, said his church cancelled its planned special programme after spending thousands of naira because of the flood.

“The flood has taken over our church here in Oyigbo and we had planned a special programme this weekend. We had no choice but to cancel the whole thing even after spending lots of money to prepare for it. It is unfortunate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state Ministries of Works and Environment are carrying out desilting and clearing blocked waterways in the affected locations, using swamp-buggy equipment to improve water flow.

The state deputy governor, Professor Ngozi Odu, disclosed this when she visited the Palace of the traditional ruler of Eneka, Professor Rowland Woko, to deliver relief materials to flood-affected residents in the community.

She stated that the the state has government was also addressing the environmental causes of flooding, including blocked drains and canals, broken culverts and structures erected on waterways.

Odu, who is also chairman of the State Flood Prevention and Management Committee, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara had directed the committee to move beyond sending relief materials to local government areas and reach communities that suffered the worst impact of the recent flooding, with food, non-food items and medicines being distributed directly as part of the State Government’s immediate intervention.

According to the deputy governor, the flooding had become particularly severe in the past week, forcing residents to construct makeshift wooden bridges and use canoes to move around their communities.

She also announced that affected residents would be enrolled in the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), with the government providing free medical treatment for one year.