More flooding in Sangre Grande

Businesses and residences on the Eastern Main Road, Sangre Grande, were flooded on Tuesday night as receding waters from other areas flowed into the area.

Store owners told Newsday that water began to rise around 8 pm.

At Yufe's, workers said they came in about 10 pm to try to take up some of the fabric.

"We're doing some cleaning. We did have some damage to stock but it wasn't a lot, the water wasn't high like previous years. We're hoping to reopen to the public by Friday."

At KC Restaurant and Bar, the bartender said the water came halfway up the bar.

"It's funny, no rain fell yesterday in Grande, it had fallen the night before, and where the Porsche was swimming, there went down and then the water started to rise here. In 2018, the water was over the bar."

On Adventist Street, Nazir Ali said he had worked up till 1 am to clean his house after the water began to go down after 9 pm.

"I decided to work late last night because I wasn't sure if WASA was going to take the water. I sanitized the whole place with bleach. Normally in April we get showers for the farmers, this rain was unexpected. It caught everyone off guard, even the authorities. We're hoping not to get another flood like this before the rainy season. When that starts in June, the expectations are different."

He appealed to the Regional Corporation to bring a load of sand and bags and leave them on the street, as usually flooding blocked them from collecting at the regular location. He said when this was done previously, the wrong location was chosen and the river washed away the sand when it flooded.

Ali said the corporation had been in the area a few weeks ago scoping out the bridge.

He said in the Fishing Pond area the river had been blocked and was only cleared late in the night.

"The Tamana water came down and Mario's, KFC, Republic Bank, all of them flooded out."

In Fishing Pond on Oropouche Road, Jason Katwaroo and his family had packed all their salvageable belongings into a truck to move to the Toco Main Road. He said this was the second time their rented apartment had flooded out, the first time being last year.

"Everything got soaked down, all the furniture, the stove, washing machine, the mattress we have to dry it to lie down on it. We're moving out and not coming back, because how many times are we going to take losses? This is the first time we get water like this at this time of the year."

Katwaroo said he had not received any word from his landlord or any assistance from the regional corporation.

At Mandilon Road, sisters-in-law Nicole Ali and Nicole Eligon, who had been trapped in their adjacent houses as waters rose over eight feet, said the water began receding.

Ali said the ODPM brought a bottle of bleach and the regional corporation delivered two mattresses.

“I lost everything. I was now trying to rebuild from 2018 when I got flooded out. I had just ordered cupboards and they were to come yesterday and didn’t, thank God. The whole kitchen was mash up and ting, everything got wet because we didn’t believe the water would come so high.”

Both houses are still under construction. The women said they are hoping to get grants so they could make some improvements. They said they are often forgotten by relief agencies.

“The ODPM said they will give the information to Social Welfare. The last time we got grants from Social Welfare after we got flooded in 2018, it was less than the cost of the items we needed, and it didn’t cover “luxury items” like dryers.”

Ali said she wanted to build up so that floods wouldn’t affect her as much. Eligon said she wanted to finish her roof so she could move her appliances onto the second story.

Eligon said the cylinder in the drain adjacent to their properties had broken down and this was causing the heavily overgrown watercourse to overflow into their houses. They said the road at the site was also sinking and pushing the culvert into the river. They called on the ODPM and the regional corporation to do their part.