Some 22 worshippers died during the Easter vigil mass when their church collapsed on them following a heavy rainstorm. The incident happened at an outpost of the Christ the King Church, Adamgbe Parish, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State. A pastor and seven worshippers were also reported killed when the pillar of their church gave way at the retreat camp of Deeper Life Bible Church in Eyenkorin on the outskirts of Ilorin, Kwara State, following a rain storm. These unfortunate incidents, coming at the beginning of the raining season, are indeed unfortunate.

Just last month, we had reason to advise in an editorial on the need for Nigerians to prepare for the rains and the accompanying environmental and other challenges following a "freak" rainfall in Lagos which came with unusual and particularly alarming thunderstorms. We particularly reminded Nigerians that the NIMET 2012 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction has already warned that the country should expect violent thunderstorm during this year's rainy season. The agency also predicted that increase in frequency and intensity of the extreme weather events in the coastal areas will cause flooding and erosion
which may result in landslide and loss of lives and properties.

Given the damage wrought in the course of the current rainy season and especially the recent tragedies in Benue and Kwara States, we want to highlight some of the simple measures we earlier recommended to minimize our individual and collective vulnerability. For the safety of their families and other tenants, landlords should have the roofs and the walls of their houses checked by professional builders for possible structural, or age-induced weaknesses that may increase the vulnerability of such structures during the rains. We believe if such precaution had been taken, the tragedy of a church caving in would have been averted. We also enjoin that blocked drains, especially in areas where flood waters easily accumulate and generate a strong force, should be cleared and subsequently kept free.

Bad roads, particularly those with pot holes, present the greatest danger to travellers during the rainy season. Water-filled pot holes cannot be detected and can easily lead to serious accidents once unsuspecting road users encounter them unprepared; as often happens after heavy downpours. Transporter and car owners generally should also attend to mechanical and other problems that may pose danger to them and to other road users during this rainy season. Damaged, or dysfunctional, windscreen wipers should be fixed. Windshields and door windows that may admit rainwater and create fog that may impair visibility from inside the car should be in order.

It is indeed noteworthy that floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss and they have caused untold damage in the last couple of years, especially with prolonged rainfall over several days. Therefore, aside the foregoing precautionary measures, we make this critical call: If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars, (as it happened with the unfortunate Lagos couple who were returning from church last year) can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water!

Finally, the location of a building and the surrounding environment are very important. So it is incumbent on the inhabitants to look out for trees with heavy branches which could easily fall on a house if blown by strong winds. It is also always advisable to build house structures far away from poles and cut off tree branches that are hanging dangerously close to the rooftop. If the ground slopes towards the house, water can collect near the foundation and weaken it, so raising the downward sloping areas surrounding the house can remedy this problem. The focus should at all times be on prevention and pre-emptive intervention, because little is gained when resources that should be put into developmental initiatives are dissipated in dealing with avoidable emergencies and calamities.