JENSEN LA VENDE
Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
A Laventille family, still reeling from the murder of an 11-year-old family member last year, saw their kitchen destroyed when a chennette tree fell on their home yesterday morning.
However, homeowner Susan Huggins told Guardian Media the tree might not have fallen if their complaints to the Water and Sewage Authority (WASA) had been heeded.
“For the past years, water has been coming down from the reservoir, and we was making some calls to WASA to notify them what’s going on and we never get no kind of response from them. At no time at all. And this is the result,” she claimed.
Huggins said she was trusting in God to take care of her family, as the damage caused by the fallen tree had left the home open to the elements, both natural and criminal.
“Prayer is the key to everything right now. That is what has given us the strength to hold on. You have to put everything in the presence of the Lord. You cast all your cares upon Him,” Huggins said.
In February last year, her 11-year-old Ezekiel Huggins was shot in the head while riding his bicycle along Mapp Trace, Laventille Road. At the time of the shooting, the gunman was aiming at a passenger in a red Kia Cerato, who escaped with minor injuries.
Contacted yesterday, Ellen Lewis, director of Customer Care at WASA, expressed regret over the incident and said the complaints would be looked into.
Huggins, who does not live at the house, said her children and grandchildren live there. She said she heard the crash that broke down part of the back wall and side walls. She said the incident has left her and her family feeling unsafe.
Asked if she believed she would be given assistance from WASA after previous complaints went unanswered, Huggins said, “I hope so. By the grace of God, I hope so. We really need that help right now.”
When asked if the family would seek legal redress, she said, “You just have to leave things in the hands of the Lord. He has the power to do everything.”
