More than 150 families were forced to cancel their Divali celebrations after heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides in communities and homes across south Trinidad yesterday morning. The hardest hit areas included Quarry Village, Siparia, the constituency of Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, Fyzabad San Francique where some residents could not cook. They suffered property loss and were trapped in their homes. When a news team from the T&T Guardian visited the area residents said it was the worst flooding in decades, but yet they received no help from their government representatives, the regional corporation or emergency response agencies.
In the community of Standard Road, Fyzabad residents were stranded as they were cut off from the main road. Sixty-year-old Ramchan Ramnarine had to wade through a quarter mile of knee-high water to collect his Divali lunch from his daughter Diana Maharaj. Maharaj, who lives in Penal, said: “Every Divali I would drop lunch for my parents, but this year when I got here there was too much flood for me to drive through. It is the first time in the longest while that it flood so bad.”
Another resident, Patsy Jaglal, said: “Since I here 48 years I never see anything like this. It (flood) happen so sudden we could not do anything. We cannot even cook because the water reach about four feet inside and leave about five or six inches of slush. The flour, sugar wash away.” She added: “We have bread and zaboca, ah guess we will have to eat that.” Another resident, Asha Ramrattan, said her baby’s toys, pampers, stove and other valuables floated away into the river. “All the mattresses, our clothes everything soak. We need help here.”
Quarry Village residents blamed the severe flooding on a blocked river course caused by land development works by two people in the area. Mala Sitahal said, “It is not easy to deal with, especially on an occasion like this. She said relatives came from abroad to spend this special day with them and they cannot even cook or light their deyas. “This is the Prime Minister constituency I hope she is listening and see what is happening.” She was hopeful that the Prime Minister would help them. He called on the Prime Minister since it is her constituency to do something about it. Another resident Claudette Dookie broke down in tears as she recalled how residents had to come to her rescue. “Everything in the house gone.”
Corporation chairman: Its the Worst
Siparia Regional Corporation’s chairman Leo Doodnath said in his four years at the corporation its the worst flooding he has ever seen. Doodnath said he was out from around 9 am touring affected areas and the corporation’s disaster preparedness unit was lending assistance to affected residents. “It bad. It terrible. Most the areas in San Francique were badly hit, the Fyzabad and Siparia communities also had severe flooding. It could be about more than 150 households affected in terms of water going into their homes. In Mulchan Trace would have been the worst I have ever seen where two families were marooned. We could not get to them.” He said mattresses and food stuff were given to families and shelters are on standby to assist the families who cannot stay in their homes. “But, we do hope that the flood will subside so by tomorrow we can begin mopping up the area. We have already alerted Cepep and URP.