Ninety per cent of the flood damage that devastated St Helena Village in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bret on Monday could have been prevented if two dilapidated flood gates in the area were functional. This was the claim by members of the St Helena Village Council.
The Sunday Guardian visited the sites yesterday where the flood gate in Centeno had broken off and lay in several pieces while the second flood gate behind Nanan Road, El Carmen Village, was held open by a log jam.
Winston Lutchman, a member of the village council, said for years they have been suffering with flooding in the El Carmen/St Helena area.
“We have complained to the people in authority to no avail, all their response has been that the river has burst its bank.
“Members of the St Helena Village Council, Ardene Hart, Holass Mahabir and I traversed up to the Centeno area where we observed that a flood gate that was built many years ago had collapsed and disintegrated into several pieces.
“That is the cause and the reason that the water from the Caroni River when it reaches a certain height and enters the collapsed area of the flood gate and into a drain that was built there to take water to Centeno and floods the village.”
He said if the flood gates were redone and maintained regularly it will help to alleviate the flooding in the area by as much as 90 per cent.
Lutchman said if the Caroni River was dredged and embankment work was extended up to the San Raphael area it will also help tremendously.
A team from the Ministry of Works visited the area last week and were dealing with issues affecting the area after the flooding.
Shama Deonarine, a former councillor for the area, said during her tenure in 2002-2010 they had done substantial work strengthening the banks of the Caroni River. She recommended dredging of the river and cleaning of drain.
A team from the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation was seen distributing mattresses along the main road yesterday.
Deputy Mayor of Chaguanas Borough Corporation Faaiq Mohammed was also in the community at Nanan Road, El Carmen, distributing over 100 hampers and water donated by Price Club Supermarket, along with ASJA (Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association) representatives led by Imam Ibrahim Asif Ali from the Las Lomas Number 1 Masjid.
Mohammed confirmed that no one had gone to certain areas in the community such as El Carmen Trace # 2, they were the first to arrive and called on people to help the affected residents in Las Lomas and southern areas.
Dilmatie Nanan from Nanan Road, El Carmen Village, said water came from the river and flooded the nearby houses reaching as high as four feet. She said she sustained extensive household damage and her destroyed household effects were left on the side of the road for The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management who passed earlier to confirm their losses.
Another resident, Soomarie Nanan said she had to watch out for snakes in the water, spray around her premises for mosquitoes and call the corporation for overflowing cesspits. She claimed residents in the surrounding area were bypassed with the mattresses.
However, the Tunapuna Corporation crew denied this, saying they were delivering mattresses to those who contacted them.
Davanand Ramkhalawan said flooding was a perennial problem in the community.
He said he incurred major losses, and while his family received hampers in the past they were never compensated.