I have always felt lucky to be a citizen of my country for a specific reason despite our unique underlying issues. Nigeria is one of the countries with less incidents of natural disaster compared to most countries. Most natural disaster that I have seen are from movies or in the news, never have I truly seen one. It always seems a little fascinating when I watch those things occur in movies, seeing how weather conditions could trigger unimaginable destruction.
The funny thing about life is, it is only when you experience a little fraction of sadness that is when you would understand that pain is real. There are things in life we can not truly explain without experiencing it. The best a person can do is to define it based on textbooks definition or give a narrow illustration from memories gathered from documentaries, But you see those that really experienced something, you would feel the sadness in their voices and every word that comes out of their mouth depicts the incidents. Which means just from their facial expressions, you would understand what they have been through.
Remember I sad I'm a lucky person, I have been so opportune not to be present in places with a little bit of weather issues. In Nigeria, we might not be experiencing extreme natural disasters like tornado, earthquake, volcano eruption and landslides but we have our own share of some extreme issues caused by weather conditions such as flood, storm e.t.c to those in countries with more extreme conditions might see these issues as something little but for people like us, it is the highest form of weather hazard.
I have lived in different parts of Nigeria most especially Lagos. For those who have lived in Lagos state can testify to how intense flood can be during raining season. Which usually occurs during this time of the year, it keeps raining till the whole place is filled with water. Lagos is typically surrounded by water compared to other western states, so whenever we experience any bit of raining, it suddenly feels like it has been raining for years.
A lot of canals where built in Lagos to combat flood issues but it doesn't seem to be helping much and the major cause of this issue is not just the rain but human factor included. Due to excessive disposal of waste in drainage systems across the state, it is making it difficult for the drainage system to function properly and without the drainage systems connecting to each other, carrying the flow of water into the canal, it won't be able to function to it's full capacity.
So whenever it is raining, while those in high grounds are glad because they experience no effect of flood but you see those in swampy areas, it becomes so difficult that some will have to consider relocating. There were times during my primary school days, whenever it is raining heavily consistently for days, sometimes we just choose not to go to school.
This is not a decision that easy for a parent to make but parents needs to prioritise their children's safety over everything else. In those days, we student usually pray for raining season to come so that we can get a break from school. At least it is the form of holiday caused by nature, so no one have control over it.
That was the most extreme weather condition I experienced until I was posted to Oyo state for my NYSC. When I thought I had seen it all, compared to Lagos, I wouldn't say Oyo state can be compared to Lagos when it comes to flood but there are other underlying weather issues in this state. When it comes to Western states in Nigeria, Oyo state is more like a desert. During dry season in Oyo State, especially where I lived in owotoro community, those without functioning electricity have to sleep outside their building due to extreme heat.
I mean it can't be compared to the north but it is just as hard as it gets. Around 6 pm, you can still see traces of the sun, the whole building will feel like it is placed inside a microwave. As a result of these, there is usually drought during dry season. You wouldn't see any water in the well, it was my first time experiencing seeing the other side of the well. I mean looking into the well and all you see is just dry sand.
As if this is not bad enough, the most worst of it all is the display that occurs before it is raining. Due to lack of rain fall, everywhere is dried up, so there is nothing reducing the impact of the wind. It was in this state I experienced what an actual turbulence wind looks like. It is like a sand storm, destroying everything in it's path.
Whenever it occurs, we usually pray that the wind should not face the direction of our house because only few houses in the community can withstand the impact of the wind. Choosing to run or relocate is not a choice because you can't truly tell which house would be hit by the turbulence wind and if you decide to run outside while it is raining, it is like putting a rat in a lion's den. The wind is usually strong enough to pick up a grown man, so it is not advisable to roam around.
There was one incident that occurred before I left the community, the storm picked up the roof of a house and placed it on another house, it caused one of the most funniest commotion in the community because both landlords were at the throat of each other. The landlord that owns the house with the additional roof top was scared that the longer the roof placed on his building by the wind stays there, the higher the possibility of his building collapsing, while the other landlord with the missing roof just couldn't come up with any immediate ideas to lift his roof from another man's house.
I'm just glad I was able to leave the community in one piece but still, I'm unable to tell which one is far worst between a turbulence wind and a flood but from my own point of view based on my experience so far, I would prefer a flood because it is easier to predict the direction of a flood due to previous occurrence, so you can easily decide to relocate to another building within the community but you see turbulence wind, it just picks up strength as it goes in any direction of it's choosing.
This write-up was inspired by week 27 SciFi multiverse prompt titled "Natural disaster" in SciFi multiverse community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
Image 1 - All images used are mine or else indicated otherwise
