Recently, there was a rainstorm which caused a lot of damage in your locality. Write an article for publication in your school magazine, describing the rainstorm, the damage caused and its effects on the people.

THE WORST RAINSTORM IN MY LOCALITY

It was a fortnight ago on a Saturday afternoon. The sunny bright day suddenly started changing with the advent of a heavy wind carrying along all light objects, sand and material particles. As if the electricity distribution board people had prepared for it, they quickly cut the power in the whole locality of Ijanikin.

Within an hour the afternoon had turned into a semi-night situation. Amidst this darkness, thunders and lightenings had put both the young and the old on an agitated and prayerful mood. While the wind, thundering and signals continued and increased in intensity, the heaviest and longest downpour in many years took place. Many electric poles fell on houses, roads and some unlock passers-by on their way to some places.

The number of houses destroyed now stands at  50, and over 1000 houses were flooded. The occupants of such flooded houses lost valuables but none lost his or her life. But some occupants of the destroyed houses either died, were maimed or injured seriously. Even the general hospital in the area was so flooded that it couldn’t offer medical services for about tow days.

The electric poles, wires and those of telephone were adversely affected. As I am writing now, these facilities have not been restored and may not be restored fully for time to come. Frozen fish companies, hair-dressing salons, business centres and other  businesses which require electricity for their operations are still counting their losses, inconveniences and incapacitation which the rainstorm occasioned.

The farmers were no exceptions among those who lost heavily. Either their new crops were washed away or the ones due for harvest were destroyed outright. It was a natural disaster which one prays doesn’t happened again. One also wish that we have a more equipped meteorological department that is capable of giving helpful signals. Even the absence of emergency aid workers compounded the effects of the rainstorm.