Christmas looks likely to be a waterlogged one for many East Coast Demerara residents, and at Victoria, yesterday recent heavy rainfall had caused the water level to rise to well above two feet once more.
With just days to spare before the biggest holiday of the year Victorians have inches of water in their homes. Lower flat kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms are swamped leaving some villagers without a place to do their holiday entertaining.
When Stabroek News visited the area shortly after 3 pm yesterday residents were going about their daily routines as usual. Some yards had pockets of water. However, the further into Victoria we went the higher the water level became. Yards, especially those located in the backlands, have more than two feet of water. Residents told this newspaper that the flood “is nothing new”.
“Every year around this time,” Monica Amos said, “we would get flooded. As soon as the rainy season start the water would start coming in… This has been happening every year since before the big flood in 2005.”
Amos’s yard has approximately six inches of water. The floodwater is also in the woman’s lower flat bedroom and kitchen.
“Look the water come and I had to move my stove upstairs to cook. My washing machine get water all and I don’t know if it working still,” Amos explained.
Other residents face similar situations. The family of Corporal Wesley Hopkinson, the soldier who died in a boat collision on the Cuyuni River, had more than two feet of water in their yard. When Stabroek News had visited the family almost two weeks ago there had been six inches of water.
According to residents, the recent heavy rainfall caused the water level to rise once again. Onica Murphy, a resident who lives just in front of the Hopkinsons, reported that the water had receded “a little” prior to the recent rains but now it is gradually getting higher and is beginning to smell.
Like many other locations along the coast a large amount of garbage could be seen floating in the stagnant water and residents were moving through it freely, seemingly unaware of the possible health risks.
Livestock could be seen roaming the roadway yesterday because it was the closest available ground without inches of water.
“At least we’ll have each other for Christmas… regardless of the water and the trouble it is causing us we will try our best to have a joyous Christmas after all it is the season of sharing and accepting,” one resident said.
Water levels have also risen in Buxton and other villages within that vicinity despite the efforts being made by the various drainage stations to pump the water off the land.