Mafeking Village still under flood waters

AS THE flood waters subsided yesterday, large parts of rural Rio Claro and Mayaro which were flooded out over the weekend, were left covered in mud and debris with thousands of dollars worth in agriculture and livestock being lost as a result of the flooding. The rains, which started last Friday and continued up to Saturday night, reportedly staggered relief operations mounted by the Office of Disaster Preparation and Management (ODPM) in Mafeking Village which up to yesterday, was still under flood waters. Military and Fire Services trucks could not pass through certain areas where the flooding was particularly severe.

Despite the fact that their yards and the roads leading to their homes were still under murky waters, several residents in Rio Claro tried to get their households back in order, carrying out “mopping up” operations. A Local Government representative who spoke on the basis of anonymity, declared that the flooding was the “worst in living memory” and that Government needed to take a serious look at ways in dealing with seasonal floodings. Several families remained marooned in their homes yesterday. Severe flooding was reported to have taken place over the weekend in such rural communities and villages along Poole River Valley Road, Old Guayaguayare Road, Fonrose Village and Lazzarie Road. Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation (MRCRC) chairman Ramlochan Panchoo told Newsday yesterday that Mafeking Village was still virtually inaccessible as the main access road - the Naparima Mayaro Road — was under five feet of flood water.

He said soldiers in Army trucks which ventured into the village to assist in rescue efforts had reported the road as being impassable even for a truck since it would be dangerous to navigate vehicles in flood waters where visibility in terms of seeing the road path, was nil. Panchoo said damage assessment officers and clean-up crews using the corporation’s trucks had been dispatched to assist residents remove mud and other debris from their homes. He said two sister regional corporations — Princes Town and Penal/Debe — had also volunteered to assist in yesterday’s clean-up operations by providing trucks and other personnel.

Panchoo said he was making a public appeal to Local Government Minister Rennie Dumas, to provide additional funding for the clean-up efforts. Panchoo told Newsday that once flood waters had subsided, corporation workers would spray the areas to control and/or prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases. The Rio Claro Health Centre was said to be operating on a 24-hour basis to assist in any emergency. Flooding was so bad in some areas of Mayaro, that the usual 40-minute journey from San Fernando to Mayaro had been transformed — this past weekend — into a gruelling three-hour trip since persons were forced to drive all the way to Biche, Sangre Grande and Manzanilla before reaching their destination in Mayaro.  Taxi drivers had an unexpected weekend off, Newsday was told, since drivers did not want to risk driving through the flooded roads. Relief efforts are expected to gather momentum today as the waters continue to subside.