This year alone, there have been so many natural disasters happening in different parts of the world. Floods taking over cities, earthquakes destroying homes, and tsunamis forcing people to run away from their towns. These things damage properties and sadly, sometimes even take lives. It can be very terrifying, especially if you are not prepared.
For me, the only natural disaster I have ever witnessed happened when I was still in JSS1. I can never forget that day. My senior brother and I were on our way to school early in the morning. It should be around 7:30am. We were living in Okoko, Lagos, and my school was Awori College in Ojo.
As we were going, the sky suddenly started turning grey. Not just grey, it became so dark like it was still midnight. It was the darkest morning I’ve ever seen in my life. There was this strange silence at first, and then a strong wind began to blow. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was not just an ordinary breeze. The wind was so powerful that it felt like the whole world was shaking.
My brother looked at me, and we both knew we had to turn back. We rushed home immediately. When we got home, the wind became worse. Our windows were shaking badly and the house itself was making strange sounds. I was very scared. I actually thought something terrible was going to happen. That morning felt like the world was ending.
And of course there was also a heavy downpour of rain but as heavy as the rain was' it was nothing compared to the way the wind was blowing, even well rooted trees looked like they were going to pull out from the soil, it was a chaotic wind
We stayed inside and just waited. After a while, the wind reduced, and that’s when we started hearing the news. That’s the part that really broke my heart.
We heard that two buildings collapsed in different parts of Lagos because of the wind. But the saddest part was that some students died. They were trying to cross the water to a place called Ehin Osa, where their school is. But the wind started while they were on the canoe, and it capsized. I think six of them died. It was so painful to hear. They were also just going to school, like my brother and I.
That experience made me realise how powerful nature can be. We may think we have control over things, but nature reminds us that we don’t. It humbled me that day. No matter what we are chasing in life, we should always be alert. Once you see signs that something is wrong, take it seriously.
If anyone ever finds themselves in a disaster like that, my advice is: don’t panic. Try to stay calm and find shelter. Never go near water when the weather is acting strange, especially when there’s heavy wind. And most importantly, don’t ignore the sky, it often gives signs before something happens.
Nature can be peaceful, but sometimes, it can also be brutal. We must always respect it.
Photos created using peakd AI image generator
