Flooding hits Kpetewoma in Kenema Residents of Kpetewoma section removing their properties from the flooded street

So many Residents of Jakuba Street, Coker street and its environs, at Kpetewoma section in Kenema city have been relocated as a result of heavy flooding after three hours of heavy rains in the city on Tuesday afternoon July 16th 2008.
Properties worth millions of leones were destroyed. The entire Kpetewoma section leading to Nyandeyama section were totally blocked putting the entire Nyandeyama section into an Island as most residents who were out of Nyandeyama section when it rained could not access Nyandeyama section as all passages leading to the section were not accessible.
Only few males who knew how to swim were making their way to their respective residences at Nyandeyama. Section.
The rain entered into all the houses along the Lambayei stream as residents who were at home when it rained were busy transporting water from their houses into the open while others were busy packing their few belongings on their beds and tables while others put it on their heads and walked away under the rain to their loved ones in the city center.
Residents at both sections Nyandeyama and Kpetewoma expressed dissatisfaction over this ugly situation noting that this is not the first time floods have destroyed their properties at Kpetewoma section. 
Residents in the area are calling on government and other humanitarian organizations to immediately come to their aid.
It could be recalled that a year ago similar disaster occurred at this time of the season destroying property and displacing residents along Wahman Abu road, Lahai street, Second street, Seyia street, Nyadeyama and Kpetewoma respectively.
The Kenema District Council have been earlier awarded contract for the construction of two bridges at Kpetewoma section, one leading from Blama road to Kpetewoma and other linking Kpetewoma to Nyandeyama sections but up to now it has not been completed as most people attribute the flooding to the narrow passage of the Lambayei stream that run across the two sections of the city.
The youths of the area told Awoko that they went into contract with the Kenema city council to clear the water way along the stream, half of the money was paid which they used as food for work, the work has not been completed and they approached the council for the balance payment but council replied that they there is no money at the moment which has now resulted to such disaster.
They also complained that since the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society went with a disaster management programme to them some time back nothing has come out of it.
Effort to contact the council officials proved futile.
By Saffa Moriba in Kenema