Caroni man still waiting for flood relief

A resident of Caroni Village on Wednesday said he was still waiting for relief from the flooding which damaged his family's home last October.

The man, speaking on condition of anonymity, said personnel from the Social Development Ministry came to assess the damage last November. He said he signed the assessment form, but the ministry's staffer did not.

For the last five to six weeks, the man said, he has visited the ministry, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management and the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation seeking assistance. He said staff at the ministry told him his name was on a list of people whose cases are to be assessed. To date, he said he had no idea when that assessment would take place.

He also said there were other people in similar situations.

Speaking in the House of Representatives earlier this month, Social Development and Family Services Minister Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn said more than 5,000 cheques had been distributed to flooding victims.

She said 6,501 assessments had been done as at November 15, 2018, the deadline for submissions of requests for assessments and completed forms. Just before the deadline, she said, 639 assessments had been received and that figure was reduced after a check of the database for duplication. As at November 30, there were 348 outstanding site visits and assessments to be made.

During a tour of flooded areas in Greenvale, La Horquetta last October, the Prime Minister described the flooding as a national disaster. Dr Rowley announced grants of $15,000 and $20,000, for flood victims: families with no children would receive a cheque for $15,000 and families with children $20,000.

Government also received a payout of US$2,534,550 (approximately $17 million) from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility to help with flood-relief efforts.