Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein rescued a heavily pregnant woman who was trapped in rising flood waters this afternoon. She remained unidentified up to this evening.
After being rescued, the woman was placed in the bucket of a Caterpillar backhoe and taken to the St Helena Fire Station where she received medical attention.
Wading through water as high as his waist, Hosein was able to reach residents from Ross Trace who begged to be taken to a shelter. The evacuated residents were later given hot meals and dry clothing.
Hosein said many areas were impassable so it was impossible to reach some communities. His assistant Krystel Ramdath said while rescue teams had inflatable rafts they were unable to use them because of the force of the floods.
"At one point they had to get out and push the boats because they could not get through," Ramdath said.
The rescue teams said more than five feet of water remained in the Kelly Village and St Helena areas.
In the El Carmen area, a resident who lived there for 65 years said it was the first time that the area had flooded.
"Even after Hurricane Bret we did not see this type of floods," the resident said.