Relatives of man killed by floodwaters seek answers

The relatives of 52-year-old Dexter Greaves, who died when he fell into a drain and was swept away by floodwaters, say they are still looking for answers.

Greaves, who worked at the Arima Market, is believed to have fallen into a drain near Caracciolo Ave, Lawrence Park, on Monday.

His sister, Marissa Greaves, told Newsday she believed he was walking from work to his home in Carapo.

CCTV footage showed him swept away by raging floodwater and trying to grab a railing at the side of the drain as the muddy waters dragged him along.

Two men stopped their vehicle and tried to rescue him, but he was forced below the water and under a nearby walkway before they could get to him.

The Hunters Search and Rescue Team, along with police and local government officials, searched for him from 11 am on Tuesday.

They discovered his body at around 1 pm, tangled in the branches of a fallen tree at a bend in the Mausica River in Printeryville, O’Meara, almost three kilometres away from where it is believed he fell.

Marissa said the family had no answers and was still unsure how he ended up in the drain.

“At this moment, we’re still trying to figure out why it happened. He usually passed (through Lawrence Park) to come home, because sometimes he walks from Arima to home, so I guess it is a normal route for him most of the time.”

She said Greaves was the eldest of ten siblings and his death had left the family torn.

“We’re trying to hold on,” she said.

Arima Central councillor Sheldon Garcia told Newsday he spoke with Arima mayor Balliram Maharaj and MPs Lisa Morris-Julian and Pennelope Beckles-Robinson to get assistance for the family.

He said Greaves’s death had inspired urgency in his call for railings to be installed alongside drains throughout the area.

Garcia added action must be taken to avoid anyone else losing their life.

“I have some drains in my area that need railings. I have been bringing it up for the past two years, so I intend to push that agenda again in (Thursday’s) local government committee meeting.

“That will be my main topic that I’ll be bringing up. We can’t wait for another tragedy to happen to then start working on it.”

Asked if there were plans to cover the drains, Garcia said he disagreed with that solution, as it could potentially cause more problems.

“Covering the drains might do more damage, because when the water rises it will sweep away the covers, or debris could get stuck in it. People might say it will make sense, but I don’t see the logic in it, because I don’t know what kind of cover we could put on the drain to contain the volume of water in it (when it floods).”