Pensioner’s pain over leaky HDC apartment

AT 87, Horace Mitchell would like to live out the rest of his life feeling safe and comfortable. Instead, because of recent heavy rain, he has to manoeuvre around his flooded one-bedroom apartment on walkways made from pieces of plank.

Mitchell said he has been a tenant at Charford Court, Port of Spain for the past 12 years and he and other residents on the ground floor have been affected by flooding for a very long time.

When Mitchell contacted Newsday, he said during the downpour on Saturday afternoon his living room and bathroom were inundated with black-coloured water. He is calling on the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to address the issue.

“We are suffering here,” he said. “Once rain falls, the place does be under water. This has been happening for the longest while now and HDC is not addressing the problem. We have been making complaints to the head office and to date no one has come to look at the problem.”

Describing how he personally has been affected, Mitchell said, “Imagine at my age I have to live in this condition. I can get sick with this type of water on the floor. I am using a sponge to take up the water off the floor. The situation is terrifying and I am living in an inhumane condition. My entire kitchen floor is covered with water. I need help.”

When Newsday visited the apartment, Mitchell was moving his belongings off the floor and putting them on makeshift shelves, while trying to soak up the water with mops and pieces of sponge foam.

HDC communication manager Dike Noel said he was not aware of the situation but said a team would be deployed to look into the problem.