Floodwater which had caused Ann’s Grove residents discomfort for weeks has left in its wake noxious mud, damaged homes and non-existent gardens but residents were still in good spirits when Stabroek News visited the community yesterday afternoon.
Melinda Herod and her sister were busy baking bread, a normal Sunday afternoon ritual, but all around them was evidence of the flood which had recently damaged their homes and wiped away their gardens and livestock.
Herod’s “bottom-house” was a mixture of mud and pockets of water which had not yet drained. Together the mud and remaining water caused a foul smell to emanate from the woman’s yard overpowering the aroma of her freshly baked bread. Her backyard in which a kitchen garden once flourished was overgrown with weed.
While the water had drained from the surface of the land, residents explained, the soil was still too “soggy” for them to cultivate. Chickens, whatever survived the flood, were seen huddled together in small pens which were still elevated some distance above the ground.
Ducks and goats were left to roam free in the village. According to residents, after weeks of being locked in cages and restricted to small portions of high ground the animals needed to move so they could get the much needed exercise they had been denied.
The small wooden house that is home to 82-year-old Nathaniel Scipio is leaning precariously. Scipio believes that the floodwater that remained on the land for almost a month is responsible for weakening the foundation of his home.
“I ain’t really have a floor anymore,” the senior citizen said. “The water was in my house and some of my floor board rot and get waterlogged.”
Scipio spread bits and pieces of tattered linoleum in an effort to hide the state of his floor boards. At his age, he said he can hardly afford to feed himself so renovating his house is an extravagance out of his reach.
However, the old man explained that he could handle a “leaning house” but doubts whether he would be able to survive weeks of flooding again.
Adella, a young Ann’s Grove woman, said that she was now battling watery mud. Her entire yard was a mixture of the same slushy mess; duck and chicken droppings and watery mud. Planks were scattered throughout Adella’s yard to create pathways.
“The water left about five days ago,” Adella said with a smile. “We dealing with the mud but it gonna dry…the main thing is that we ain’t flood out no more.”
Meanwhile, a resident who requested anonymity pointed out several small heaps of garbage which had been removed from drains. According to the resident, there were several snackette owners who dumped food boxes and other sanitary utensils into the drains.
“When they dump all those boxes, cups and other plastic things in the drain it going to eventually float until it reach a culvert and when it can’t pass through there it going to block that culvert,” the concerned resident explained.
This improper disposal of waste, the resident said, was among the many minor factors which also contributed to the flood in Ann’s Grove.
“There are a few who just don’t care and they causing the whole village trouble…look is people who live right through the street got to scoop garbage out from the drains when is a couple snackette owners dumping it there,” the resident said.