After five hours of nonstop rainfall on Saturday, several communities around San Fernando were severely hit by floodwaters that left distressed families counting their losses yesterday.
Apart from street flooding, water entered the homes of many, overturning household furniture and appliances.
Residents of Richard Street, Dasent Street, Scott Street, and Donaldson Street in San Fernando, said it was the first time they were affected by flooding of this magnitude after the Cipero River broke its banks. Residents said they suffered losses between $100,000 to $70,000.
They said the major cause of the flood was a result of a nearby business that covered a portion of land reserves with concrete, making it difficult for employees of the San Fernando City Corporation to clean drains and rivers.
They said they lodged several complaints with the corporation but the matter was not dealt with.
San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi toured some parts of the area accessing the problems of flood victims.
Al-Rawi said they had all hands on deck to help with the clean-up operations—there were representatives from the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Ministry of Social Development, the Disaster Management Unit, 250 Cepep workers, and City Corporation workers.
Al-Rawi and incumbent PNM local government candidate for the area Sadi Mohammed used the unplanned walkabout to tell the affected residents about the importance of local government reform.
But at Palmiste Bend, Coconut Drive, San Fernando, Curtis Ralph, who said there were eight people in his home suffering as a result of the flood, was not concerned about reform then.
He told Al-Rawi, “While we discussing politics, my children, all their shoes were downstairs, shoes, slippers you name it … My TV, washing machine, couch set, all that was destroyed. While we discussing politics, I have to deal with the immediate attention of that.”
Al-Rawi responded, “Well, first things first, we have people on the ground. Second thing, we have Social Development to list all of the damage. The third thing is all part of why we are asking for support for this gentleman here (pointing to Saied Mohammed).
“Now the corporation gets to do that. I don’t have to wait for Port-of-Spain to get the message down to Rio Claro to go to Charlotteville to come back to do it. It have a few people in the way of that, they are wearing blue jerseys on the outside.
“A lady name Lutchmedial! Ask her why they don’t support it. So that is what I am fighting for right now. Otherwise, we would be having this conversation six years from now and you going to show me the same things and say this didn’t happen and this didn’t happen.
“So the question is what is the solution? I know it is a distressing time,” Al-Rawi added.
“That long-term fix can only come if you have a plan you could put into action. My plan is, give me the authority to do it.”
Al-Rawi said 100 homes were affected by the flood.
Regrello said they had been out since 6 am in the affected areas. He said the major problem affecting the city was people using the road reserve to extend their property. He said it prevents the corporation from having access to clean the river and the mouth of the river.
The mayor pleaded, “I am making a special appeal, do not occupy or do any planting or make it a leisure park for your home.”
He said the corporation began a clean-up campaign and bulk waste pick-up two weeks ago.
Residents’ woes
Resident Harrison Thompson, 78, of Donaldson Street, said water entered his home quickly and he had to flee with his wife and sister Antonette Thompson to safe grounds. He said as the water subsided he returned and cleaned up until 11.30 pm. Thompson said he was alerted that his four-foot wall at the back of his home had collapsed and knocked down the neighbour, Winston Attong’s wall on Dasent Street.
“What worried me was the power of the water, it was running like a lake. It was phenomenal. If this happens again, I don’t know … you see everyone builds a wall, the watercourse is interrupted by walls and the water gets trapped, so it makes its own way.”
Winston Attong, a former Olympic cyclist of T&T, said he lived at Dasent Street for 23 years and has been hoping to have the problem with flooding there resolved.
He said he would like to get relief but has “no hope and trust” in the authorities. Attong said, “Too many promises and none is being delivered. I want to get back my refrigerator, washer and dryer, deep freeze, electrical, and furniture. This is about $90,000 in damage to my apartment alone. Plus I lost four birds in the flood.”
At Donaldson Street, retiree Knolly Dorner, 85, lived with his wife, Zola, 64, an amputee, and daughter Shandel. The pensioner said his wife had to be rescued by fire officers and taken to their landlord Brian Bereton’s upstairs apartment as the water rose.
Sitting on a chair and clutching a walking cane, Dorner said he was promised a home at Union Hall but that never materialised. He pointed to all his household items in the front yard that was soaked.
“I have been living here for one year, someone promised me a home because I have nowhere to go and no one confirmed it with me.”
At Palmiste Bend, Coconut Drive, San Fernando, Joy Ralph and her brother Curtis were furious at the turn of events. Ralph said she was forced to “bunk” on a couch when water burst the nearby Cipero River banks. She said it was the first time residents were trapped in their homes as a result of flooding.
She said they had pleaded with the City Corporation for both sides of the river bank to be raised equally and for it to be frequently cleared of debris.
“The last time they clean the river was two years ago, and when they clean they reach a certain part and dump the rest next to our home. People need bigger things than promises, and a meal, and washing detergents. I am grateful to Rishi (Balramsingh) for the assistance he had given people here in the past and continues to do,” Ralph said.
Meanwhile, the incumbent candidate for Les Efforts East/Cipero Rishi Balramsingh was out distributing meals, drinking water, and sanitisers to the affected residents.
Balramsingh said, “Tomorrow (today) from my assessments, I would promise to replace some of the items with the help of friends and family; to those who identified their needs; especially children who lost their school uniforms and books.”
Meanwhile, the San Fernando Naparima Bowl had to cancel a show because it was covered in floodwater, but the water subsided early yesterday morning.
Chief Executive Officer Marlon De Bique said recent upgrades and development did not spare them the disaster.
De Bique said, “There was a show scheduled for 7.30 pm but with the weather for obvious reasons the area to accessing the Bowl was a challenge and our property was compromised with the flooding.
“It was a safety and health hazard, we had a steelpan concert. Panasonic Steel Expression, a concert called World Music. This was the first time at this level. We do our upgrade to the drainage. Where we are located, in a valley, we have the PSA grounds, Naparima College, and Hospital, and everything converges downhill.”