Flood waters cut off several Caroni villages

Villagers of St Helena, Kelly Village, Las Lomas, Carapo and surrounding areas were virtually cut off from the rest of the country due to flood waters which rose as high as five feet in some areas, when the Caroni River burst its banks Wednesday. By 6 am yesterday, the gushing flood waters covered homes on the banks of the Caroni River, while several persons were evacuated from St Helena Village. Others remained marooned in their homes, surrounded by the swirling flood waters. They preferred to stay at home through fear of losing their belongings to looters.

By 10 am yesterday, the roads leading to St Helena, El Carmen, Madras and Centeno were impassable. Roads leading to the Piarco International Airport were cut off with only trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles able to make it through the rising waters. The flooding started around 5 pm on Wednesday. Residents of St Helena said they were closely monitoring the river in wake of Hurricane Ivan, and were startled to see the river rise so high, even though the area did not experience much rainfall. Member of  Parliament for Caroni East, Ganga Singh, surveyed the damage on Wednesday night and met with affected villagers yesterday.

He told Newsday he was totally disappointed with the response of the Government and the people who are supposed to bring relief to those affected by the storm backlash. He said at Hydraulic Trace in Kelly Village, five feet of water surrounded people’s homes, destroyed agricultural crops and drowned poultry. “People lost all of their appliances when the river overflowed and the water gushed into the homes with such rapidity, that preparations were not put in place,” said Singh. He added that in the eastern areas of Caroni, the flooding was very serious.

By midday yesterday the flooding extended towards the Old Southern Main Road, Warrenville. Schools in the area were closed and children sent home. Affected residents said they called NEMA and other Government agencies, but they received no assurances that relief would be made available. Members of the business community stepped in and provided basic items for some of the flood victims. By midday yesterday it was reported that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was on his way to Central Trinidad to observe the flooding.