So many things happen when it rains in Lagos; traffic becomes a lot madder, NEPA, or whatever they call themselves now take light, you are forced to cancel the meticulous plans you’d made, but these are nothing compared to watching the water level in your house rise into a raging sea, making you wonder if there is an ark somewhere you should get yourself to before God wipes the world a second time. This is prevalent in one side of the city, but with the amount of rainfall in recent weeks, coupled with bad drainage system and overall poor planning, anybody on either side of that bridge could be dealing with this.
This is for you if you’d dealt with this or dealing with this. You should know that you’re in our thoughts.
The earliest signs of rain plunge into despair
First, you don’t understand why it’s still raining – it’s October already, isn’t it? You can’t possibly stop it, so you pray for light rainfall. At the same time, you start looking for the highest ground level in your house– a sanctuary to keep most of your important stuff.
You become quite handy with cleaning kits
You are not so big on cleaning, but your circumstances have forced you to learn the best ways to use mops, parkers, buckets, and brooms to keep the water out. Of course, they are only effective when the rain and the ensuing flood don’t hit so much. It’s a whole different level when the volume of the water gushing in and claiming your space is a lot more than you or anything can handle.
You consider a new choice of footwear
One of the nastiest things you could ever do as a grown-up is to wade knee-deep inside a stagnant pool of water to get around. Surprise – surprise; that is now what you gotta do if you are serious about getting around. The flood of water can’t stop your hustle; you roll your trousers all the way up and ‘swim’. This will be easier if you get a pair of rubber boots or canoe, but you end up buying neither. This is a phase, and it will pass.
You could be reduced to a squatter for a while
This happens, especially if you live in one of the worst-hit areas. There is nothing you can do to claim your space as fast as you want. And no, you can’t float on water. With tears in your soul, you pack the few things you need and find shelter at a friend’s. It’s not the best arrangement, but what do you do when man and nature are against you?
You didn’t think you could love the sun so much
Nothing makes you really happy than when you notice the sun peeking through the shadows. At this point, you don’t mind any form of heat – you just need to reclaim the land you paid for.
You begin house-hunting (again)
Finding a comfortable and affordable house in Lagos is a wild thing. You thought yourself lucky to find your current crib, but you didn’t know there was a plan to morph you into an aquatic creature. You lick your wounds and brace for the heartache you are about to subject yourself to. You need to move fast too, the best time to find a house in Lagos is during the rainy season.
Most people usually dump the idea after the rain has subsided, and the floods are gone, but if you’ve had enough and really want to move, we wish you all the best in finding an ideal house. May your search be smooth and be free of greedy agents and ridiculous fees.
