Near miss for Belle Vue family as landslip destroys house

Members of a Belle Vue, Long Circular family are shaken, but grateful to be alive, after a landslip destroyed their home during hours of persistent rainfall.

Several parts of Trinidad experienced thunderstorms because of an inter-tropical convergence zone on Wednesday.

Vin James of Terrace Trace said he was cooking and decided to walk out to the back of the house to smoke.

“I heard something on top the hill, and when I looked the (land) came down and came through the kitchen, drawing room, and split the whole house in half.”

The house, which is on a hillside, was hit with several trees which came down with the landslide.

James, who lives with his wife and young daughter, said the family rents the house.

He said they can no longer stay there. He said he received a phone call from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, but was told that owing to covid19 restrictions, shelters were not available.

“They said they will see what they can do.”

James’ neighbour Marsha Woodley said in the eight years she has lived in the area, this is the third landslip she has experienced after heavy rain.

“The dirt gets weak from the constant rain,” she said.

She and another neighbour were also affected. “I cannot walk on one side of the house. The other side is caving in also. If the rain continues to fall, it will cave in and block the main entrance. Right now we have to pack and go.”

Woodley, who lives with her daughter, said her next-door neighbour and her son must also find somewhere else to spend the night.

She said she is grateful James was not in the house at the time.

“Thank God for that, because he has a young baby.”

James’ wife and daughter were not in the house at the time, and no injuries were reported.