Laventille/Morvant landslide victims want help

RESIDENTS of Laventille East/Morvant are pleading with the government for assistance, almost a year after a landslide devastated the area.

The affected families say they have received no response to letters sent to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the area representative and the Social Development and Family Services Ministry.

Around 20-25 families lost their homes or suffered significant damage in the disaster in November 2022.

Many of the affected residents have had to rent or seek shelter with friends and family. The situation has also led to homelessness and residents are calling on the HDC to provide housing.

On Friday morning, approximately ten families gathered at the HDC asking to be put in units. They said they are not asking for handouts but affordable homes.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, political activist David Welch said, “These people are facing financial hardship. They have all lost their homes, and what they want isn’t financial assistance from the government. We have mothers, fathers and single parents that now have to rent. They are working 24 hours and some of them only have enough to pay rent. We (HDC) have homes sitting down that they could use to help these people.”

Welch threatened to take legal action against the HDC for “not responding to the people of TT.

“We are not asking for money, we asking for help for these families. We could house non-national but we can’t help place our own.”

Nicollette Hughes said after the landslide, she started seeing cracks in her walls. Within a week the entire structure collapsed. Engineers said because of the state of the land, it would be a major risk if residents try to rebuild in the same area.

“Since this landslide situation, that has affected the Laventille West and Morvant area, it has been one years since we have made the necessary request for housing and families are still yet to received this support. We would like the government to know we are citizens with families and seniors, some of whom are under stress and homeless.

“This is not a protest; it is a simple plight with hopes that there is some level of remorse and for them to move with some level of urgency. What happened was a natural disaster and it’s no fault of ours.”

The residents also asked for an update or a timeline of how soon help would come.

“We are asking the powers that be to step in and help every single person affected.”

She said the situation should have been assessed and each resident should have received help based on their immediate needs. However, this was not done and the residents are expressing disappointment over the lack of urgency with which this situation is being handled.

Leon Guy of Upper Pashley Street told the media the situation has left him homeless.

“I put my things on the side of the house (board) that still holding up.”

He said he is desperate and is willing to accept any offer of accommodation in any location that HDC has available.

“I just want my children to be comfortable. It’s a natural disaster that happened since November. We just need help.”

“From since 2017 water coming from through my place and moving the land and flooding out inside by me, where everything now just start to come down in by me and mash up.

“I find we not getting any assistance.”

Tired of unkept promises, the residents are now considering all options, which they said included taking matters into their own hands if their cries for help continue to go unnoticed.

“We went by (Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian ) Leonce and can’t get an appointment, and most times we not hearing nothing or they not telling us what’s the update. We just hearing that they are working on it.

“Meanwhile, nobody don’t know how we living or how our families coping.”

In a TV6 News interview Leonce assured the residents concerns were being addressed.