RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Watching helplessly as flood waters crossed the SS Erin Road and entered his business place, Mustabe Ali frantically called for assistance as thousands of dollars’ worth of engine transmissions and other car parts became submerged.
With more than two feet of water entering the back of RNS Parts, Ali seemed unsure of how to deal with his predicament.
"It is drainage! These people not cleaning the drains so every time it rains the floods get worse," Ali said, standing with a broom in his hand.
Next door, two employees of Nihon Go Auto parts were also trying to stack valuables on higher ground.
"Come and see what is happening in the back," the owner shouted as the water flowed inside his shop.
Several other business places, including D Original Bicks and I&S Auto parts, also experienced floods.
Lower down the SS Erin Road, employees of Shiva Boodoo Poultry Shop were operating business as usual while flood waters rose around them. Anand Samaroo said following the last month’s floods 70 chickens drowned.
"We learned well from the last floods. After our losses, we decided to raise the floor and because of this, our birds were saved. The floods not reaching them," Samaroo said.
Wearing tall boots as he waded through the water to hand a customer a freshly plucked chicken, Samaroo said drainage continued to be a major problem in the Penal/Debe area.
Several parts of Clarke Road and Batchyia Trace experienced floods and residents were unable to get out of their homes.
At the Katwaroo Roundabout, several vehicles stalled. At Penal Rock Road, several areas, including Solomon Knox Road and Lachoos Road, were flooded. No vehicles could traverse the Solomon Knox Road, which resembled a gushing river.
Penal/ Debe Regional Corporation chairman Dr Allen Sammy said teams from the disaster management unit were out on the field before dawn as the rains fell non-stop since 11 pm on Wednesday.
"I am renaming Penal/ Debe Greenvale because the flooding is bad. There is flooding everywhere. A car floated off the road at Batchyia in Penal. We are in the process of assessing damages so we will give a feedback later on," Sammy said.
A resident looks out of his home as floods rise at Lalbeharry Trace, Monkey Town
Kristian De Silva
At Monkey Town, swine herder Nathaniel Mungal was hurriedly trying to secure his pigs and cows while floods rose rapidly.
There were also reports of flooding at Guapo, Dow Village, South Oropouche and at Grant Trace, Rousillac. Many students were unable to get to school because of the floods.
The worse flooding occurred in the Oropouche Basin as several major watercourses, including Oropouche, Gordineau, New Cut Channel and the Bhagmania Rivers, became filled to capacity.
Floods at Debe Hindu School.
Kristian De Silva
Other areas affected were Digity Village, Penal, several parts of Clarke Road and Lower Barrackpore in the vicinity of the Barrackpore East and West Secondary Schools. Along the Mosquito Creek, motorists reported rising floods.
"We have water coming over the wall and there is a heavy traffic pile-up. People are thinking of using the San Francique Road to get back to San Fernando but we hearing there flood too," Gregory Juman said.
In Mayo, Kissoondath Seepersad said the Mayo Road in Tortuga sank cutting off five families.
"The Road has been sinking for the last few days and with the heavy rains the road is now impassable," Seepersad said.
At Barrackpore, Kenneth Paulsingh said there was a serious landslip at Tin Pan Alley Barrackpore.
"The road has caved and the land has slipped causing damage to a house. We are calling on the ODPM to assist," Seepersad said.