300 residents affected
…calls made for better sea defence, improved drainage
Having lived through the terrifying experience of witnessing monster waves of the agitated Atlantic Ocean demolish a part of the sea defence structure and rush invasively into sections of West Coast Demerara/East Bank Essequibo, flattening fences, confiscating bridges, ransacking homes, and destroying cash crop and poultry enterprises as flood waters besiege hapless communities, residents of affected villages have called for the placement of boulders, improved sea defences, and proper drainage to reduce the impact of tidal flooding.
This call was made by the residents on Saturday, when Government officials and Civil Defence Commission personnel visited the affected communities. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has disclosed that some 300 homes have been affected by the recent tidal phenomenon.
Guyana Times saw affected residents cleaning up their homes and premises of the debris deposited therein by the flood, which included mud, water and other articles captured by the ferocious waves, which some estimated were as high as 15 feet.
Residents of Ocean View, Uitvlugt, Leonora and Stewartville were on Saturday bracing themselves for another episode of the Atlantic Ocean overtopping the sea defence structure and invading their communities. Already, several families have been displaced and extensive damage has been caused to goods and household items.
Mother of two, Sharda Lall, explained that her husband was preparing to go to work when they heard the crashing sounds of the waves as the ocean invaded the coast. He raised an alarm, but they were no match for the determined Atlantic, as its gushing tides flowed into their Uitvlugt home.
She noted that she has lived in the area for some 18 years, but had never seen such high waves. Lall indicated that her spouse has been home since Friday, and has not been able to work.
“This is the first time we get flood in the house. The waves were very, very big, so all we asking the Government to do is if (they) could put some boulders to break the waves. I am not scared because I living here for 18 years, but with this which happened, I feel scared,” Lall told Guyana Times.
