Bamboo cleans up as homes still under water

File Photo.
File Photo.

The houses closest to the Caroni River in Bamboo Settlement No One and Two are still filled with water, but most residents have either evacuated or feel the water has gone down enough to venture outside and start cleaning up.

The question echoed by most of them yesterday was: "Where is the help?"

Premnath Bisnath of Bamboo number One said since Friday, water had been trapped in the area, and the pumps were working, but very slowly. He said many of his neighbours lost items.

When Newsday visited yesterday, Works Ministry staff had excavators near the bank of the Caroni river, bordering the area, as they worked to raise the embankment, which had not withstood the rains of the last four days. The pump, which moves 11,000 gallons of water per minute, was working, and Ministry of Planning staff were doing assessments.

Nirad Boodoosingh, another resident, showed Newsday where three-foot-deep water had got into into his home. Most of his household items, amassed in the ten years he had been renting the downstairs property, were now useless.

Red-eyed, he said he knew he had to clean but did not know where to start.

He said his wife had taken his son to stay with her family, as the house was still full of water and there was nowhere to sleep or rest, as everything was soaked.

While some residents got sandbags from regional corporation staff who visited the area, Boodoosingh said he wasn't so lucky.

While some houses were flooded, the occupants of one, even though it was surrounded by water, cleaned only their laundry area yesterday morning.

The homeowner said, "On both sides of us they were flooded out and even the back of our house water had risen over a foot high, but we had purchased two pumps and it worked, so none of the water got inside.

"Looking around, I see how badly my neighbours got hit, but I made the investment because I know it would have cost a lot more if I didn't have the pumps."

Yesterday, she was being helped by contractor Otto De Roche, who had installed the pumps, and explained that even submerged in the water, the pumps worked to get the water out of the property.

In Bamboo No 2wo, boatmen were still ferrying people out of submerged areas.

"We evacuated everyone already," said Bobby Sinanan, who rented the boat to assist residents. "What we are doing now is transporting people outside who come to bring food and water for the people still inside there. We rescued 60 people from inside."

Sinanan and other men from the community are focused on ferrying those who come with aid to those who need aid. They say they have not seen the Coast Guard or the Defence Force helping people in the area.

"The help we have is what people from outside gave, and from us chipping up and helping ourselves."

Comments

"Bamboo cleans up as homes still under water"

More in this section