When the flood came in early July in different parts of Calabar, the Cross River State capital, there was no time to save the television, refrigerator, clothes or furniture. Families grabbed their children and ran as water swept through their homes in the middle of the night.
In one house, the water rose to Etim Bassey’s neck as he carried his five-year-old son to safety.
Not everyone was lucky to stay alive, though: five residents died following the flooding.
For those who survived, the flood left more than muddy streets and waterlogged homes. It washed away years of savings, destroyed livelihoods and left families wondering how they would begin again.
The rain may have subsided, but the scars it left behind remain like an open wound. Pools of muddy water filled living rooms, mattresses floated in flooded apartments, while refrigerators, televisions and other household appliances lay soaked beyond repair.
