Bracing for flood damage as the Oropouche River began swelling and flooded the low-lying villages within the Oropouche Basin, some residents of Penal, Upper Barrackpore and Woodland yesterday evacuated the area as the rain continued pouring.
Having suffered four floods for 2017, the residents took no chances with their valuables. At Pluck Road, Woodland, Angel Khan hurriedly packed valuables in boxes as the river broke its banks, covering the lagoon lands behind her home.
As she waited for a truck to pick up her fridge and stove, Khan said she was praying that the tide will remain low to allow the floods to run off. Her husband Larry Bansegopaul went through the swamp to check the river levels and when he saw the water gushing through, he alerted neighbours.
One neighbour Simon Baldeosingh, who lost everything in the October floods, began getting chest pains when he saw the floods gushing into his home. He was taken by ambulance to the San Fernando General Hospital while his two daughters, Simone and Amelia, evacuated.
At Barrackpore Road, cattle farmer Shabir Alladin was seen bringing in his herd of 70 cows from the pastures around 9 am. Alladin said he lost two cows in the last floods and he was not taking any chances.
"Lots of water will come down here in a bit from Moruga and Upper Barrackpore, so we are trying to secure the animals now," Alladin said.
'People suffering'
At Rochard Douglas Road, several areas including Cunjal Road, Gilbert Trace, Nanan Trace, North and South Oropouche River Road and Kanhai Road were inundated with water. Andy Ali, whose wife, Anita, fell ill had to be carried through the floods to get to the San Fernando General Hospital. Ali said the incomplete box drains had exacerbated the flooding.
"These drains made no sense. They built drains to go uphill and a lot of the channels are clogged up. This is why people are suffering," Ali added.
Councillor for Fifth Company Raffi Mohammed said representatives of the Disaster Management Unit of the Princes Town Regional Corporation have been touring flooded areas at St Mary's Road, Rochard Douglas Trace and Fifth Company. Mohamed said major watercourses in the area, including the Lengua, Jaipaulsingh and Oropouche Rivers, have not been cleaned by the Ministry of Works.
At Guaracara/Tabaquite Road, areas including Esmeralda and Flanagin Town also suffered floods. Resident Kamal Hosein said the floods brought in huge piles of dried bamboo which clogged up major watercourses.
In the Rio Claro/Mayaro district, villages in Navet, Poole Valley and Jairam Trace were flooded. MP Rushton Paray said a river running parallel to Bel Air Road was in need of de-silting. He said between 50 to 60 families were marooned for two hours after floods rose under their homes at Bel Air.
"There has been little maintenance of the water courses and that is why after two days of rain the place floods out. We need to have an aggressive programme to clean up the minor tributaries of the Mafeking and Ortoire Rivers.
Penal, Siparia Corporations get ready
Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Dr Allen Sammy said his disaster management team was on standby in case the flooding got worse. He said if rainy weather persisted and the high tides came up, then more families will be affected.
Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh said an emergency council meeting was carded for 10 am today. He also said if torrential rains continue, between 800-1,200 people will be affected. Saying the corporation's disaster management teams were already in disaster mode, Ramadharsingh called on corporate T&T to stand ready to assist the affected families.