"Since we got up this morning we have been bailing out water. We have not eaten for the morning." Elderly and ailing resident Mahase Surujbally, 74, also embarked on the futile exercise of removing debris from the front of his house, so he and his wife could walk out of their home. He blamed a lack of maintenance of the river for the recurring problems. Surujbally, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said he could not recall the river ever being dredged. "If I had somewhere else to live, I would not stay in this swamp," he said as he chastised Member of Parliament for the area, Stacy Roopnarine. Roopnarine said she was aware of the situation and that the ODPM and local government councillors had been deployed to the area to assess damage and provide assistance.