Families pick up pieces after storm

Debris was also reported swirling all around for only a few minutes, residents recalled. When it ended, galvanised sheets were hanging off electrical lines and the supply went in the Aripero, Rousillac area. “It was a nightmare I would never forget,” said mother of six Lena Dyer,55. Dyer continued, “I am speaking and my pores are raising. It only last for a short while, but I would never forget those few minutes,” said Dyer. She said at the time, she was preparing a meal in her kitchen when her roof was ripped off her house. “Just like that, my roof went off and rain started to pour inside, most of our appliances were damaged. Four years I have been living here and I have never experienced something like this,”she said. Another resident Charmine John- Williams of Iris Avenue said she felt as though she was reliving the moments of 2015, the year another storm hit the community.

John-Williams said that she now relives the nightmare as her roof was damaged for a second time.

“In 2015 I did not get any help, so I really hope to get help this time around,” John-Williams.

Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, together with other officials, met with affected residents to bring relief. Yesterday, officials from the Self Help Commission of the Community Development Ministry went to the community to meet with residents. Ag Chief Executive Officer Janice Phillip said her team visited the affected homes delivering application forms to the residents. She said that once the forms are filled out and submitted to Self Help, the damage would be assessed and residents could receive relief within a seven- day period. She explained that the affected residents would be given a purchase order to be taken to a hardware to be supplied with building materials.

Phillip was also accompanied by chairman Edgar Zephyrine and other officials. Tarpaulins and mattresses were also delivered to the homes of affected residents by officials from the Siparia Regional Corporation.