E’bo homes under water two days now

Dec 14, 2019 News

The holiday is certainly off to a bad start for quite a number of residents living on the Essequibo Coast. Most of their homes have been submerged in floodwaters for the past 48 hours.

Some of the affected communities yesterday that were affected by floodwaters.

The heavy downpour commenced on Wednesday, and continued throughout Thursday and part of yesterday.
Within 24 hours, homes within the Anna Regina Township were submerged in flood waters as deep as four feet in some areas. Affected areas included Walton Hall, Hampton Court, Richmond and Three Friends.
Despite the commissioning of a multi-million-dollar pump station in Three Friends last year, the community was still affected by floodwaters.
Most residents could do nothing but watch hopelessly, as the floodwater destroyed their appliances and furniture.
“Sand bag couldn’t help because we sleep through the night. When we wake up, the whole house already flood out. Water reach till like 12 inches in the house… We try save some appliance and grocery from the cupboard but most of the things destroyed because the water take two days before it start draw off,” said one resident who lives in a one-flat concrete house.
The resident told Kaieteur News that he had no choice but to send his family with other relatives where they’d be comfortable.
Mayor of Anna Regina, Mr. Rabindranath Prabhulall, believes that the Civil Defence Commission should try to reach out to affected residents.
The Mayor said during an interview that he and a team from the Town Council were on the ground, where they had a firsthand look at the situation.
“Water is overflowing the canals and is affecting residents. There is a need for more pumps to be put into operation. We noticed multiple communities under water, including the Anna Regina Market and we are advising residents to take precautionary measures at this time.”
The recent flood caught many residents by surprise, especially since it is believed to be the worst disaster within the township in recent years.
It is believed that poor drainage networks within the township may have played a significant part in the recent flooding. Most residents said that the trenches within their communities have not been desilted for a number of years.
“Plenty of them trench na clean a good time now. And the only time the council find to dig trench is when the rain fall and the place flood…Them a wait till the thing happen before them can do something,” said one resident living in Three Friends.
Apart from the need for desilting trenches, residents highlighted the need for more pumps to be installed within the Township.
It was also suggested that the Anna Regina Sluice and pump station be upgraded in an effort to improve the receding rate of the floodwaters. Residents are appealing to both the Anna Regina Town Council and the Regional Democratic Council, to improve their approach in dealing with flood affected areas.
“Is real frustrating to know that this place flood since Thursday. Friday again yuh wake up and instead of the water going down, you see it raise more. The councils had enough time to prepare themselves,” said the resident from Three Friends who was mentioned earlier in this article.

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