Hundreds of Mayaro and Sangre Grande residents remained trapped in their homes, schools were closed and communities were cut off as flood waters left a trail of chaos and destruction in East Trinidad yesterday. Some families were evacuated, others received mattresses and hampers, but many residents who were adversely affected could not get help even from the regiment, as flood waters rose to shoulder height in some areas.
Flooding began when rivers burst their banks on Thursday after torrential showers, and the water continued to rise overnight. Members of the Defence Force, Fire Service, Coast Guard, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) and staff from regional corporations were out in the field helping, but some residents and local government representatives felt help was too slow in coming. Residents of El Carmen, St Helena, Caroni and Cunupia were also severely affected as nearby rivers broke their banks. People in seven communities in Sangre Grande were under water, but worst affected was North Oropouche.
Several communities in Mayaro were also cut off, including Cedar Grove, Mafeking, Chrysostom Trace, Log Wood Trace, and Kernahan Village. In an interview yesterday morning, Tricia Adams, of inner Mafeking Road, said she and her family, as well as several other families, had been stranded in their homes since Thursday. “The water is very high. Some people living in flat houses had to be evacuated yesterday. Neighbours carried them out in the back of their vans, but all they could take was their clothes,” Adams said. “That was yesterday afternoon, but today we cannot get in or out unless you have a big truck. So whatever grocery stuff we have, we have to make that do. “My house is on posts, but from yesterday to today the water has dramatically increased, and if it continues at this rate it will get into my house.”
She said no one had come to help. “We have no drinking water, because the pipe connected to people’s tanks is covered by flood now. We have no water in the tap. I am on my last bucket of water.
“Right now I looking at somebody tank floating across the water.” Videsh Ramadhar, who lives in Kernahan Village, between Mayaro and Manzanilla, said his community was completely cut off since Thursday night because of flooding on both sides. He said on Thursday night they contacted the ODPM, but up to yesterday morning no one had come. “Right now the water is receding slowly, but there is a lot of water in the road. People are marooned in their homes. Some people were in dire need of assistance in terms of evaluation.” He said neighbours tried to help each other as much as they could, but: “Since yesterday children could not go to school, people could not get to work. No taxis working.”
No resources, supplies
The local government representatives for two of the worst hit areas in Mayaro lamented that there were insufficient supplies and resources to help residents. Cocal/Mafeking councillor Brinsley Maharaj said he had to hire a boat on Thursday night to rescue an elderly woman because the fire service did not have a dinghy.
It’s very serious
The regiment’s public relations officer Captain Stefan Alfonso said army personnel were helping people in San Raphael, St Helena and environs yesterday morning But Mayaro was inaccessible, he said. “It’s very serious. We have sent out a team there. The feedback so far is that they have not been able to get there yet.”
Businesses affected
Mayaro Business Association president Rushton Paray said businesses were affected yesterday because many employees never made it to work because of the floods. “A huge amount of traffic passes through Mayaro in terms of activities at Galeota...Both in Manzanilla and Mayaro water has risen, so traffic cut off on both sides.”
Disaster centre needed
“We are not ready for the type of disaster taking place here. This is a big one,” Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman Terry Rondon said yesterday. “Seven communities affected so far. Right now in North Oropouche a lot of houses under water, waist-high water, the village cut off, hundreds people affected.” In a telephone interview yesterday morning, he said he hired a truck and with the assistance of two other men was trying to evaluate people. “My cry is, when will we be prepared? We are not ready. We need to have rubber dinghy, soldiers, we need manpower here in Grande. We need shelters. The schools are closed. “What we need is sandbags. We have bags and no sand.”
Rondon said the area needed a disaster centre. “We need proper funding for a disaster centre in the East, to cover from Toco. We need able-bodied men.” He said around 3 am firefighters had to evaluate residents, including 14 children and eight adults. “They had to take them in the recreation room in the fire station. We taking them to the civic centre now, but we have five cots and not enough mattresses.” He thanked and NGO, the Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL), for suppling mattresses. He said since Thursday night he had heard the army was on its way, but he was still waiting for them. When the T&T Guardian called Rondon again a few hours later, he said an ODPM representative had arrived and was making arrangements to help residents.