By Newsday reporters Friday, August 14 2009

THREE days after he handed over a $309,000 cheque to the Chaguanas Borough Corporation to pay the August-September salary of 54 contract workers, Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner yesterday said he would replace all school books for children which were lost in yesterday’s flooding.

Warner said he will replace the books and will also assist those who lost food items, during a tour of flood-hit areas within his constituency. He said it was hard to see people throwing away their flood-soaked carpets and their children’s school books.

Warner said he will meet with Local Government Minister Hazel Manning to address the problem of narrow and rubbish-filled drains in the constituency which he said, contributed to yesterday’s flooding.

“This cannot be repeated. They react after the flood, when they should react before the flood. People are suffering and that is my concern. It is the people who suffer and they have nobody to turn to,” Warner said.

Meanwhile, residents in several parts of Curepe, Tunapuna, St Augustine and environs spent yesterday cleaning up water and mud from their homes and businessplaces — an act they did on Monday last.

“We have not even recovered from Monday’s flooding and now we have to clean up once again. It real hard,” cried a resident of Warren Street in St Augustine. And as the flooding receded quickly unlike the situation on Monday, residents were still left with water-soaked homes, cars and stores. Shareen Pitcher spent most of yesterday cleaning her Warren Street, Tunapuna apartment for the second time this week. She said her pillows and bedspreads had gotten soaked but was grateful to the authorities for assisting with mattresses and food hampers after Monday’s flooding.

ODPM Coordinator at the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Keston Emptage said the flooding on Monday and yesterday had strained the ODPM’s human resources.

Emptage said 18 mattresses and 53 food hampers were distributed to affected residents within the last few days and officials were still in the process of assisting flood victims.

There were also reports of flooding in parts of Back and Basilon Streets in Tunapuna; Orange Grove Road and Parakeet Drive in Trincity and Bates and Gordon Streets in St Augustine.

In the southland, flash flooding left several low-lying areas under brown murky water for several hours yesterday.

This was the second time in five days, that affected residents had to clean their homes. They are now fearing what lies ahead as the rainy season gets into full gear.

“My kitchen is downstairs my house so everything is swimming in water...my refrigerator, washing machine, everything. There is water even in my car,” said a frustrated Taramatee Deonarine of Tarouba.

At Ramdass Trace in Gasparillo, Noeline James said she is now a desperate woman since every time it rains, her house is transformed into a lake. “I have had to cope with this problem for years. I have cried and begged for help, but no one cares,” James cried.

Councillor for the area Feraz Ali said he has never been contacted by James for any assistance over the years. He blamed flooding in the area on narrowing of water courses to facilitate construction of new houses. Ali promised to visit James’ home to offer what assistance he could.