Residents of Gill’s Terrace, St Peter are not only frustrated at having to mop up their lives each time rain pours, but that the flooding is getting progressively worse and their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
On Sunday, while much of the island experienced extreme heat, heavy rains drenched parts of St Lucy, St Andrew and St Peter, triggering the Barbados Meteorological Services to issue a flash flood warning.
However, for Gill’s Terrace residents, the warning was a little too late and as water came rushing from the hills, they had to scramble to safeguard themselves and property. When the waters subsided, they quickly began the task of picking up the pieces – an exercise that has become all too familiar.
Fed up resident Alvin Robinson was hesitant to speak to Barbados TODAY, saying that he has been repeating the same thing for decades, yet nothing has been done.
“It has been almost 40 years, so what else to say? and I’ve been complaining for the 40 years. From the time I was a little boy, it used to flood like ankle height out here, but after the highway build this is what causing all of that flooding…. Water does be all up by your chest and all kinda thing, I don’t know what else to say,” he said in frustration.
Robinson explained that because of how his house was constructed, he did not get as much damage as his neighbours, but it was still exasperating.
“I does stay inside close the doors and the water does seep in through the doors. So I might get two or three inches of water in the house but the problem is the filth and mud that come in with it and cleaning it up after,” he said.
Neighbour Peter Bradshaw was angry as worked hard to get his house back in order.
He said he believes engineers and other authorities need to visit the area to see the flooding first-hand.
“You have to get these men down in here when the place flooding so they can see where the water coming from, where it running and the kind of force that it coming down with,” Bradshaw said.
“That canal isn’t saying anything. The place in the gully where they clear [is] deeper than the canal that it has to run down to, so it comes down through there and overflows. It can’t force through there. The holes are too small for the volume of water that is coming down.”
As far as he is concerned, there is a simple fix to the problem and he is baffled why it is taking so long to rectify.
“It’s just a case of having somewhere for the water to run out,” he suggested, as he called for action to be finally taken.
“We want something. Even if it isn’t as immediate as we would like it, at least we would know that something is being done. I sick of hearing the promises.”
Bradshaw said his concern was mostly for the elderly people living in the area.
The oldest resident, 86-year-old Perlene Farley, was visibly upset as she lamented that she was much too old to be battling with floodwaters and mud when it rains.
She has become so accustomed that she elevates appliances and furniture when bad weather is pending.
Member of Parliament for St Peter Colin Jordan told Barbados TODAY that he shared the frustration of the residents, and sought to assure that something was in the works to address the longstanding problem.
“It is a matter that needs to be addressed. Government has already acquired land next to the canal…and so the Government needs to move pretty quickly to make sure that the canal is addressed and the drains and the gully leading in the gully are kept clear…. Some work has already been done and it is a matter of moving the process forward,” Jordan said.
kobiebroomes@barbadostoday.bb
