Heavy windstorm has wrecked havoc in Aguleri, Willie Obiano’s community in Anamnra East Local Government Area of Anamnra State, destroying residential and school buildings.
The incident which occurred on Saturday night threw the community into confusion as over 50 buildings were affected. Our reporter who visited the community ,discovered that the wind storm also damaged one of the internally displaced persons ( IDP ) camps at Father Joseph Memorial High School, where over ten buildings were badly damaged.
The students of Father Joseph High school, Aguleri had just returned from the Easter break for their academic activities only for the windstorm to destroy their hostels and other buildings in the school .
Master Chidera Udo and Akachukwhu Atupulazi said they were in the hostel that night when the heavy wind started blowing off the roofs causing them to scamper for safety while the storm lasted.
“We were in the hostel when the breeze started , it was pushing our doors and started taking the roofs off. We were all scared”.he said.
The principal of the school, Rev Father Anthony Okoye who described the incident as shocking and devastating, said the windstorm destroyed several buildings including refectory, teachers quarters classroom blocks, and hostels , thereby leaving more than two thousand students stranded.
“I have never seen such devastating incident, almost all the buildings in the school were affected. We are really calling on government , National Emergence Management Authority (NEMA), State Emergence Management Authority (SEMA) and Churches to come to our aid. The students will soon start exams and there is no enough classrooms for them now”.
One of the old boys of the school, Mr Mike Meze while thanking God that no life was lost during the windstorm, said the development calls for urgent government assistance to enable the students especially those in junior and senior secondary classes to resume their studies.
According to him, the windstorm destroyed even the new structures that were recently erected for them by the old Boys Association.
“We are really confused , we had a plan that before the end of this year , we will build big structure here that will also have sick bay, but look at this now, in fact government must act fast to rescue them.”
Also ,at Justice Chinwuba Memorial Secondary School, Aguleri, the windstorm blew off roofs thereby forcing students to study under the tree. The principal of the school, Mr Emmanuel Anerobi appealed to spirited individuals and government to urgently intervene and assist the school so that student can resume normal academic activities in a decent buildings .
“My dear we are in need now , look at our classroom block, I told the contractor when he was roofing this structure that he was using substandard materials , now see it, the windstorm has carried it away”. he said
A board member in charge of Post Primary School Service Commission, Otuocha Zone, Chief Joe Enemou and the Zonal Director of the commission in the area , Mrs Ogochukwu Obi who were on ground to inspect the level of damage done to the schools described the incident as colossal ,stating that only the federal and state governments can be able to handle the level of devastations.
“We thank God no life was lost and no child was injured. This is a serious damage done to the schools and we are pleading to government to come immediately to assist .”they said
The windstorm also affected private buildings and shops , causing untold hardship to the people who are predominantly farmers.
Mr. Chyukwudi Onyejekwe, one of the representative of the Executive Secretary in the state, Chief Paul Odenigbo said “this is the biggest holding camp we have in the state for flood victims, even the blocks we use to camp them, everything was destroyed”
According to him, they have contacted NEMA immediately to come and see things for themselves and help as the state cannot handle it alone. He also said several other residential houses and places of worship were also destroyed by the windstorm.
Speaking with newsmen after a joint assessment of the windstorm damage with SEMA, the Zonal Coordinator of NEMA Enugu, Mr Major Eze said an official report would be sent to the federal government for urgent intervention to the affected victims even as he expressed shock over the level of destruction.
