Bad news for flood victims

PORT-OF-SPAIN – Rain swept across flood-ravaged parts of south Trinidad Wednesday evening, causing more misery for some residents trying to dry out from Monday’s deluge.Some residents in the worst-hit areas – villages near the Guaracara River that overflowed its banks – were still at emergency shelters last night.And even with help from authorities and community organisations, it would be not likely enough to compensate households, said Akash Manickchand, councillor for the electoral district of Ben Lomond/Hardbargain/Williamsville, one of the devastated areas.Manickchand, who took his oath of office yesterday before returning to the flooded villages, said: “Even with teamwork and a collaborative effort, we still would not be able to help everyone in the way we would like to. The situation is really, really bad.”He said more than 2 000 homes in his electoral district were affected.Community Development Minister Nizam Baksh and Member of Parliament for Princes Town, Nela Khan, spent the afternoon in and around Williamsville distributing food hampers, detergents and mattresses.Monday’s rain swamped parts of Chaguanas, Claxton Bay, Couva, Tarouba, Gasparillo and St Joseph Village, leaving some areas under as much as six feet of water.The state has responded by setting up a task force, involving several ministries, to coordinate the relief effort.Manickchand said the main cause of the flooding was not the heavy rainfall, but the high tides which caused water from the Guaracara River – which runs from Trinidad’s interior and spills into the Gulf of Paria, near Marabella – to crest and rapidly overflow its banks.Manickchand said he was disappointed with the response from Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) because a distress call made at 5 p.m. on Monday was answered at 2 a.m. the following day.“We borrowed pieces of sponge and sheets from a nearby temple and used that for the children and babies. That night, 18 people stayed in the shelter,” said Manickczand.Several other politicians have criticised the role and response of the ODPM since the first floods of May 27. (Trinidad Express.)