The date, November 22, 2023, would ever remain indelible in the mind of Dame Julie BC Opara albeit sorrowfully and painfully. Although the sun still rose from East and the clock never stopped ticking away just as the day was normal and beautiful until the evening tragedy’s attack which came in form of rain with its malignant deluge of flood.
Returning from her usual Sunday spiritual exercise which has become a part of her, Dame Julie sat at her strategic position in the expansive living room , with a Holy Bible and a hymnal by her side.
Within moments, the blue skies became dark and gradually but steadily turned black. The result was a devastating wind that blew like an ocean wave, shattering every object in view with deafening noise.
In its wake, the heaven was let loose giving way for a downpour that lasted for hours. With the unimaginable storm and its violent rage, the damage in Umuayalu Egbu community was huge and debilitating.
According to the victim who incidentally is a widow who lost her husband about 30 years ago, the damage caused by the windstorm and erosion of November 22, 11 days after the November 11, 2023 governorship election, was horrific.
She said, “I was sitting on my usual position at about 4pm on that fateful evening when I started hearing a whistling pine – like noise which suddenly became awful to the ears.
“I was wondering what was happening when unexpectedly the pedestrian gate was dangerously flung open and there was this deluge of flood that surged into my compound in an immeasurable ferocity.
” What happened next would be better imagined than explained. Terrified but calm, the flood, measuring more than two feet from the floor, had already encircled me beyond my legs and devastatingly spilled allover the rooms, including small rooms, kitchens, stores, libraries, in fact, everywhere.
‘I was speechless. I was confused observing such for since over years i have lived in this house,i have never experienced such a disaster so i am in a state of dilemma as I don’t know what to do. The entire thing looked like a drama – a theatre of the absurd sort of.
“Yet, there was the miracle aspect of it. In the midst of it all, my child called and after explaining what was tragically goin on, he urged me to switch off the control board. I managed to do it. Not up to two minutes after that, the source of power was restored! Imagine if my child hadn’t called urging me to switch off – it would have been instant electrocution but God used my ward to thwart the devil’s plan”.
Indeed, the downpour of that day caused a colossal damge to this widow as her masterfully architectural designed wood house structured in the mould of British building was seriously destroyed.
The house faces a near collapse threat as virtually all the materials used in errecting the buildings are now in one stage of dilapidation or the other just as the fittings have practically lost colour and taste.
Again, the entire furniture, including, curtains, chairs, tables, sofas, were not spared as wears of all kinds like shoes, sandals, canvas, and every article of clothing in the house was destroyed by the raging flood. Of course, important documents and files were destroyed just as several bags and boxes containing other valuable materials were destroyed by the satanic flood.
The incident of November 11,2023 left Dame Julie emotionally, physically psychologically and financially drained as she is yet to get her house back to its original shape due to grossly limited resource. As a matter of fact, she is still devastated.
On this note, the otherwise simple and easy going widow who minds her ways and who lives a very contempted life is now being forced by this ugly as well as deplorable circumstances to seek for financial support and assistance of kind hearted individuals to come to her aide to enable her regain some of her lost properties. The Vicar, Archdeacon Innocent Echebima of All Saints Cathedral Church, Egbu, who visited Dame Julie Opara’s compound after the wreckage, managed to control tears in view of the awful circumstances that engulfed the premises. He therefore advised Dame Opara to seek for assistance by reaching out to the public. Also, Arch.Lucy Iquo sympathized with her promptly urging her to abide by the vicar’s piece of advice of going public for help.
Her account details for prompt response is…
Name:Julie Opara
Bank:Keystone
Acct No:1002203893
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