Policeman: I’m not lying, evacuation happened in Greenvale

Police officer and Greenvale resident – Thaddeus Carballo – insists he did not lie about residents in his community being evacuated owing to flooding on Sunday. He said over 20 people were evacuated.

In a live Facebook video on Sunday morning, Carballo said after about ten minutes of rain, "the levels of the water on the street are about two to three feet right now.

“Persons are evacuating the area in scores, police are outside trying to assist and it’s real problems right here again. So, pretty soon, we’d be needing boats in here and assistance from anybody to evacuate and secure valuables – right now people are trying to secure their vehicles and the roads are almost impassable.”

He also urged residents not to use the evacuation route that was highlighted by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) but instead use La Horquetta Trace as it was the “only clear path.

“This road is clear at the moment, it’s the road with the least water at the moment.”

But in a release on Sunday afternoon, the HDC urged the public not to panic. It said, "We understand the nervousness you may experience once there is heavy rainfall but we wish to advise that the mitigation systems which have been installed in your community are functioning as they should.

"The berm is functioning as it should and continues to prevent water from surrounding watercourses from entering the Greenvale Park community."

It said pumps are on and functioning, adding that the water that was on the streets is "quickly receding and poses no threat to life or property.

"The HDC's emergency response team continues to monitor the situation and will liaise with the relevant agencies if required."

Asked what led him to believe evacuation was occurring, Carballo told Newsday, “It’s not what led me to believe that, it happened. I was on active duty. And if you realise from my Facebook live, that water came up in no time.

“I led the evacuation and there were people in wheelchairs being lifted across the water. I used the police vehicle to transport people.”

He said he feels embarrassed and insulted the HDC is saying he was untruthful.

“People are thanking me. Every single person we helped has expressed gratitude. I am telling the truth, the evidence is there.”

He said the area shown in the videos was called “the triangle” where the townhouses are.

People returned to their homes when the water subsided.

He said his videos were solely to inform and was not meant as an attack on the HDC.

In another live video on Sunday afternoon, he questioned, "I wonder if they (the HDC) were there? I was there. Who feels it knows it."