Hurricane Sandy may affect Lagos – Govt warned

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday warned residents of the state to
prepare for the ripple effect of Hurricane Sandy in the state.
Hurricane Sandy is a 2012 late-season violent tropical storm that has
affected Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and
the eastern seaboard of the United States of America.
The Commissioner for Waterfront Development and Infrastructure, Mr.
Adesegun Oniru, said the government was projecting that within seven
to 14 days, the state would experience the ripple effect of the
hurricane in its coastlines.
He explained that the government based its projection on, "experience,
records and study ofpast happenings" and had started taking
precautionary measures.
Oniru said, "This warning is not to cause panic in Lagos, but to place
us all on alert that if we notice anything unusual in our coast lines,
we should not go near the waters but rather call government attention.
"This storm has hit the Caribbean and is now in USA. We always get a
ripple effect of such happening in Lagos.
"This wind started in Africa, wentwest gathering more wind and later
turning to hurricane. We expect a splash back effect. It could be on
our coast lines and shore lines, it could be more than that. And it
may not happen at all. Everybody must be vigilant. Let usbe careful
around our oceans andlagoons."
The commissioner said the government was planning to protect Kuramo,
Oniru, Majidun, Alpha beach and other areas affected by the last ocean
surge in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on the Environment,
Dr. Taofeek Folami, urged the residents of the state to avoid flooding
effect of the storm by refraining from dumping their refuse into
drainage channels.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba,
urged the state residents not to panic, saying the alert was for them
to know what to do to prepare for such occurence