AN early morning rain yesterday wreaked havoc in some parts of the Lagos metropolis. The downpour, which lasted for about 30 minutes, claimed two persons and property worth millions of naira.
The rain, which came with gusty wind and thunder, caused near total darkness for 30 minutes.
The phenomenon described as thunderstorm by meteorologists at the Central Forecast Office of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Oshodi, Lagos, pulled down several house roofs, trees, electric poles and almost anything that was on its way.
A thunderstorm, which comes with lightning and thunder, is often associated with a cumulonimbus cloud, howling winds, heavy rain and sometimes hail.
Meteorologists said yesterday the heavy rain was not heralding the rainy season but rather a serious harmattan.
At Olive Estate in Oke-Afa, the rainstorm destroyed fences and gates while the sewage systems flooded the streets. A kilometre of the road before Jakande Estate gate caved in.
Also, at Ire-Akari Estate Road, the rainstorm brought down the roofs of several houses and sacked their occupants. School children practically swarm through the flood in front of Keystone Bank along the road.
The stretch of the highway between Coconut and Trinity Bus Stops of the Mile 2-Tin Can Expressway was flooded, leading to many vehicles getting stuck in flood water.
Motorists going towards Isolo market from Okota were forced to turn back because the wreckage of zinc and wooden materials from house roofs cut off the road near Delicious Treat, a quick restaurant outlet.
A teacher at the St. Gregory's College, Lagos Island, reportedly died when a mast fell on him.
Buildings, telecommunication mast, portions of roads, cars and other vehicles in the area were not spared.
Motorists and pedestrians on Third Mainland Bridge, Obalende, Ejigbo, Mushin, Isolo, Surulere were worse hit by the storm. Several street light poles on Third Mainland Bridge were destroyed.
Moremi Hall at the University of Lagos and the Office of the Public Defender billed for commissioning by Governor Babatunde Fashola tomorrow were also affected.
The situation led to traffic snarl around the Oke-Afa-Isolo-Okota axis. Some residents could not leave their houses due to ensuing flooding. The victims of the rainstorm included a student, who was killed by a falling tree.
It was learnt that 200 families were rendered homeless by the storm, which blew off the roofs and ceilings of their buildings.
Some vehicles' windscreens were shattered by hard objects, which were airborne by the rampaging wind.
The situation caused panic, as some residents rushed out of their apartments as the foundation of the houses were shaken.
A flying roof landed on a commercial motorcyclists, who was rushed to the hospital unconscious.
The dead pupil was among residents who were running for safety. He was reportedly hit by the falling tree at a school in the Low Cost Housing Estate, Isolo.
Chairman of the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Mr. Kehinde Bamgbetan, who visited the estate to access the level of damage by the wind, said work on the affected buildings would begin soon.
A victim told The Guardian that it was not long when the entire roof, rafters and sheets were changed that the devastating wind blew everything off.
"The wind was so fierce that it caused a fearful vibration to the extent that we were worried that the building would collapse."
The Guardian learnt that the affected residents had been asked to fix their houses and await possible compensation after verification by the state government.
Consequently, a register was opened at the Landlord Association Civic Centre in the estate, where over 100 persons had registered at 1.00 p.m. yesterday.
NIMET's Chief Meteorologist, Mr. Abayomi Oyegoke, told The Guardian yesterday that, "what happened was a result of mesoscale system over Delta region that spread to the South-West and rose to the level of a thunderstorm in Lagos.
"People should not be deceived. The rainy season has not started because more dust is still coming. We will still have harmattan after. Since we are still in the dry season, the rain is immeasurable," he said.
Mesoscale meteorology is the study of weather systems smaller than synoptic scale but larger than microscale and storm-scale cumulus systems. Horizontal dimensions generally range from around five kilometers to several hundred kilometres. Examples of mesoscale weather systems are sea breezes, squall lines, and mesoscale convective complexes.
Vertical velocity often equals or exceeds horizontal velocities in mesoscale meteorological systems due to non-hydrostatic processes such as buoyant acceleration of a rising thermal or acceleration through a narrow mountain pass.
The Guardian