After facing the brunt of the flooding in the city on Sunday, many Albouystown residents are feeling frustrated and helpless.
Most residents who spoke to Stabroek News yesterday said they had to sleep in their flooded homes because they had nowhere else to go.
A blanket of brown water covered James Street, Albouystown yesterday. During a visit to the community, persons could be seen drinking and smoking. One man said that President David Granger ought to legalise marijuana because the situation in the area is disheartening.
In some of the homes, while the floodwater had receded more was bubbling along the floorboards. Some residents tried to block vehicles from passing through the streets because they caused mini-waves that pushed water through their floorboards.
“One bed used to pack up stuff and the other one we had to choke up on. Some a we had to sleep sitting down,” Enobia Farley, a young mother of two, said.
Farley said eight people live in her home, including her five-month-old baby and her four-year-old son. Her seven-year-old nephew also lives with her.
Farley said the family only lost a chair and rations but she is worried about the repercussions of the flood. A distressed Farley said a centipede was seen crawling around in her home.
Tamieka Campbell said her rations were destroyed and she estimated her losses at $20,000. Six people live with Campbell, including three small children.
“All ma lil goods in the cupboard wet up… a had to sleep by a friend… is steady this flooding coming and is a old house and it leaning over the gutter, it only left for it to fall,” Althea Solomon, a single mother of four, said.
Solomon, who is a janitor, said the flooding was disheartening. Her friend, Beverly Douglas, who sat beside her, sympathised. She said whenever there is heavy rainfall Solomon is flooded.
Douglas, who lives with her husband and two children, estimated her losses at $100,000. However, that is the least among her concerns. The woman said on Sunday residents in Albouystown caught “a big alligator” and her mind has been uneasy ever since. Douglas’s house is located next to an alleyway.
The woman said she has no drinking water and she does not know if her groceries will supply her family for the next few days.
When the heavy rainfall flooded most parts of the city and parts of the East Coast on Sunday, the HydroMet Office had said the rain would continue for the next 72 hours.
“Bai I fed up… to go through that. It too depressing,” Frank Norville said when Stabroek News asked about his losses.
Norville, who is an electrician and has been living in the area for almost a decade, said he is accustomed to the situation but sometimes the flooding gets to him when he thinks about how much he has lost over the years. “I just want this to get better because honestly it hard. Na everybody could tek this mentally…,” Norville said sadly.
The water was only inches away from Norville’s bed and he has to contend with it because he has nowhere else to go. Imtiaz Holder, a shop owner, said the government should assist the residents of Albouystown because some might not be able to buy food. Holder has a lower flat apartment in Albouystown and his two tenants had to vacate due to the flooding. Their furniture could be seen floating around. Holder lives on higher ground and he was able to stay. Holder said he has been living in Albouystown for the past 33 years and flooding has always been a major issue but he believes it is time for a change.
A retired couple, Albert and Kumrassie Liliah, was among the few fortunate. They had built up their land after constant flooding but were unable to do the same for tenants. Their only major problem was water seeping into their bathroom and the damage caused to a $45,000 pump.
Bad drainage
Meanwhile, at Bladen Hall and Lusignan, on the East Coast Demerara, water had receded and several flood victims were left counting their losses yesterday.
Lehanie James, a Bladen Hall resident, estimated that her family lost about $100,000 in property. James said she has been living in Bladen Hall for eight years and water never entered her home. James said the drainage system is bad in the area and she is afraid of water-borne diseases. Seven persons live in her home, three of whom are young children.
Tajchan Roopchan, a farmer at Bladen Hall, estimated that he lost about $500,000 in produce. Roopchan said the water had subsided a little yesterday morning but the flooding had already done its damage. Among Roopchan’s crops were calalloo, sweet pepper and boulanger.
Farming is his only livelihood and Roopchan told Stabroek News that he might give up on it because the flooding problem is persistent and many times he is left scratching his head because he does not know where his income will come from.
Roopchan also blamed the constant flooding of Bladen Hall on the drainage system. He said the tube which is used to pump the water off the land was too thin for the job. Roopchan said if the pipes are changed, the water would drain off the land. The farmer said the pipes cannot handle the pressure and they are blocked up with mud.
Randolph Blair, head of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), said Bladen Hall’s drainage problem is not only because of the pipes. Blair said some of the drains were too narrow and this has always been a problem. Stabroek News did observe narrow drains, which were blocked up by thick weeds.
Blair said the drainage system is in shambles and he had spoken to the Ministry of Public Works years ago but he had not gotten any favourable response.
In addition to poor construction work on the drain, Blair said a piece of land was reserved to build a dam but it has since been occupied by squatters. He said the land needs to be reclaimed and the dam built if Bladen Hall’s drainage system is to improve.
However, Blair said if this is to be done, the residents might still face flooding since the area is very low.
Bhagmattie Deocoomar, another Bladen Hall resident, was cleaning her home when Stabroek News visited. The woman was being assisted by her two grandchildren and her husband. The woman said she was fortunate not to lose anything, except small rugs and a carpet.
“Abe understand then, but abe na understand now,” she lamented as she recalled the 2005 Great Flood, which was the last time she remembered her house being flooded.
Moureen Manohar, a Strathspey resident whose home was also flooded, said her only losses were rugs. She said most of Sunday and yesterday was spent bailing out the water and mopping up the floor. Manohar also had to cook in the floodwater for her five grandchildren, who were spending a couple of days with her.
Paul Kellawan, a resident of Lusignan, estimated his loss to be about $40,000. Kellawan owns a shop in Lusignan. He said the $40,000 seems meagre if he has to compare it to his expenses for cleaning the shop. The man said so far it has cost him $15,000 to $20,000 to clean the shop.
Kellawan said Lusignan never flooded until the previous government decided to build a road over the canal in the area. He said, “Talking to the NDC about the problems is like throwing pun duck back.”
The man said the NDC does nothing and he has to pay to clean the drains because his business would suffer.
