The voice on the line remained calm, devoid of panic, yet hinted at underlying distress. The caller expressed a desire to speak with the Editor.
"Is this the Senior Editor of the Daily Observer Newspaper?" she asked. With a response in the affirmative, she continues, "This is Esther Gbogba, a resident of Omega Community. Can you people please send a reporter here? The floods have taken over our homes. The water is entering everywhere and we have nowhere to go. We don't even know where we will sleep tonight. We need help. Please send one of your [reporters] to us," the voice of Madam Gbogba pleaded from the Omega Community in Paynesville, one of the worst flood-hit areas in Monrovia and its environs.
The 56-year-old is a mother of 4. She has 7 grandchildren. She is a market woman who sells at Red Light. She tells the Daily Observer that her three-bedroom house has been swallowed up by the flood and her grandkids have nowhere to lay their heads. "My kids got nowhere to sleep tonight and I do know what to do. Our mattresses are soaked and everything in the house has been taken over by water. This is too much for me," she practically cries out.
Like the distressed caller from Paynesville, residents of several communities in Monrovia and its suburbs have been made homeless as a result of heavy downpours the past two days. Communities affected include Central Monrovia, St. Paul Bridge, Doe Community, Chocolate City, and Sinkor, among others. Homes and business centers in these areas are already overwhelmed by floods.
The flooding caused significant material damage and severe transport problems. Flooding, as a result of the heavy downpour accompanied by the storm, has also affected parts of neighboring Margibi and Bomi Counties, as well as Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties.
Residents in various communities are expressing lamentation over the filling of drainages with dirt, causing water to enter their homes. Elijah Tweh, a flood victim and resident of Clara Town, highlighted that for the past four years, the residents have been unable to clean the drainages, resulting in flooding that has forced them to seek shelter elsewhere.
Tweh mentioned the loss of belongings due to the flood, prompting affected individuals to relocate to temporary shelters at neighbors' houses. Additionally, some residents were spotted relocating their personal effects to safer locations in Paynesville and Bushrod Island.
"Water has taken over our homes and we have nowhere to go," a distressed resident said on social media on Tuesday. "We cannot continue life like this. Our government needs to help us solve this problem once and for all."
The dumping of dirt into drainages by residents exacerbates flood-related challenges in slum communities.
The encroachment on wetlands by residents is also a major problem. "People have been building in the swamps around our area here and I think this is one of the reasons why we are suffering like this today," Madam Gbogba told the Daily Observer via telephone. "We have not been facing this problem in the part of the community where I live. I have been here for more than ten years. And it is just in recent years that flood is taking over our homes...all because people are drying up the swamps to build their houses. Sadly, the government does nothing about this."
As the heavy rainstorms destroyed homes, victims are urging the Ministry of Public Works to clear clogged drainages to mitigate the situation.
Storm Destroys Beatuo Public School, Injured Two, Several Homeless
The heavy downpour also affected Liberians in other parts of the country. There are reports of flooding in Margibi, Bomi, Grand Bassa Counties, and other areas. In faraway Nimba County, the torrential rain followed by a heavy storm destroyed the Beatuo Public School, injuring two others and leaving several others homeless.
The storm destroyed about 50 houses and also scattered the roofs of many other homes in the town.
Beatuo is the home of former Vice President Enoch Dogolea and it is the same community where a lady was crumbled to death under a stormy condition early this year.
Ojuku Quipoe, a teacher, told the Daily Observer the schooling activity had come to a halt until the school could be renovated.
"Our two school buildings were destroyed, nowhere for classes, and even all our instructional materials were destroyed," he said.
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Archie Mahn, a citizen, "We need urgent help to restore the school or our children won't complete school this year."
"See these houses where those affected will sleep or call home," he pointed out.
An 80-year-old woman's leg was broken when her house collapsed, while her son also sustained a head injury.
Meanwhile, the citizens are appealing to the government and any well-wishers to come to their aid.
"Our children are out of school as we speak, so we want quick intervention from the government," said an elderly woman, who was seen in tears.
Meanwhile, the heavy downpour on Monday and Tuesday which caused major flooding of communities in and around Monrovia, and other parts of the country is a belated reminder of the menace of overflowing water that will affect various communities this rainy season.
Weather forecast analysts early last year told the Daily Observer that the predicted effects of climate change will be seriously felt in Liberia. How much preparation was made to minimize flooding this year will be revealed in the coming months of the rainy season.
