UNIFICATION CITY, Margibi – The homes of nearly two hundred residents in Joe-Blow Town, Unification City in Lower Margibi have flooded as a result of torrential rains.

The flood were caused by heavy rains which allowed the Gbehn River to overflow beyond its banks.

Residents woke up early Tuesday morning to the sight of water pouring into their homes and damaging their property. Some affected by the disaster are now seeking refuge from friends and neighbors.

Homes affected by the flood in Joe-Blow Town. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Julia Karn, a single parent of three, said her entire three-roomed unit is flooded, and she had to relocate to a friend’s home.

“Right now, I have lost everything, including the mattresses I had in the house,” she lamented.

She called on the government and humanitarian organizations to come to her rescue with necessities including food and non-food items.

Another resident, Jackson Tuckpor, expressed his frustration with his current situation. He is currently unemployed, and the house in Joe-Blow town is the only property his family owns.

“I just want the government to help me even, with a place to relocate my things,” he said.

The Community Leader of Joe-Blow town, Joel Zangar. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Meanwhile, the community leader in Joe-Blow town, Joel Zangar said local authorities in the city have been informed about the situation in the community.

“The city mayor and other local leaders have been told about the situation, but nothing so far has been done,” he said.

According to Zangar, this is not the first time the flood has damaged homes in the community. He claimed that this was the seventh recurrence of what the community has faced since the 1970’s. He said since the first occurrence in 1974; the flood has happened in 1984, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2015.

Flooding in September 2012 that impeded vehicle movement. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

He recalled that the worst of those occurrences was in 2012 when a thirteen-year-old girl from a nearby community drowned in the flood.

As a result of that situation, he recollected, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf encouraged relief agencies to aid affected residents and instructed a technical committee to carry out an assessment of a solution to the recurring flood problem.

Following the president’s visit at that time, he said there were numbers of relief items brought to the community. He explained that a survey was also done, but no further action has been taken.

“The experts did their survey and told us that the situation was a natural disaster, that they were taking their report to the president… but nothing has been done,” he said.

He is, therefore, calling on local and central authorities to find a final solution to the situation.

Houses affected by flooding. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

At the same time, the new Mayor of Unification City, Roseline Davis, has said authorities in the county are working with central government and relevant institutions to address the situation. She, however, confirmed that nothing tangible has been done so far to aid the affected residents.

Already, there are fears that there might be more damage caused by the flood if it continues to rain in the next few days, as is expected according to weather forecasts.

Chief Technical Advisor to the Environment Protection Agency, Levi Piah said the key causes of the regular floods are overpopulation, deforestation, poor drainage and the continuous exploitation of wetlands.

He underlined that floods will continue to happen until the community learns to limit deforestation and stop building houses in wetlands.