Corentyne farmers yesterday began totalling their losses after heavy and persistent rain over the weekend, with a large-scale poultry farmer of Don Robin Farm, Corentyne reporting that he lost close to $1 million when 700 of his chickens died in the floodwaters.
When Stabroek News caught up with the man, Sudesh Ramrattan, yesterday afternoon, he was busy pumping water out of the farm to save the remaining stock.
Ramrattan, who had 30,000 birds in his pens, was thankful that mostly the larger ones were saved. He said he supplies the chickens to restaurants and also sells them in wholesale quantities to shop owners.
He recalled that during the last flood, his pen was covered in over two feet of water and most of the big chickens died in that instance. He said he put his pump into action on Sunday, after the water level started to rise, but the chickens apparently still caught cramp and died.
Other farmers on the Corentyne also suffered losses of their poultry.
Teachers of the JC Chandisingh Secondary School had to rush to the school to save the chickens they were rearing. A teacher told this newspaper that after they received a call that the pen was flooded, they made an emergency visit to the school and with the help of parents were able to move the birds to safety.
Nearby, the Area ‘H’ Ground, which is managed by the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, looked more like a huge pond. The entire ground was covered with about two feet of water, according to the Chief Executive Officer Hilbert Foster.
He told this newspaper that the ground would normally be flooded during heavy rainfall and it would take about one week for the water to recede. This would also affect games and practice on the ground.
Yesterday, the rain had stopped and there was brilliant sunshine in Berbice. Floodwaters began to recede and residents all over were busy cleaning the muddy residue.
Pumps that had been put into operation also assisted in draining the water faster. But a few residents along the Corentyne and West Berbice, whose yards were low lying, were still affected by the flood.
Ramdat Mahadeo, of Rose Hall Town, said the water had reached up to 14 inches in his yard. He immediately filled sand bags and placed them in front of his doors to prevent the water from entering his kitchen.
He was happy that the new Region 6 Chairman David Armogan had borrowed a pump from GuySuCo and installed it to bring relief to residents. He said, however, that a permanent pump is needed, while recalling that one that was there more than 20 years ago was damaged and has never been fixed.
At Number 19 Village, Rita Totaram said her three children were unable to attend school yesterday because of the flood. The wooden bridge in front of her house and around her yard was still covered with water.
She had also set a seine in the swollen water and said she had already caught a few hassars that she was planning to cook.
Residents of several low-lying villages in West Berbice were also still affected by the flooding yesterday. The water had receded in most of the other villages and residents were trying to get back to their normal activities.
A resident of Bush Lot, Visho Mohabir, was distressed though, because the floodwaters had gotten into his kitchen, damaging his refrigerator and causing its contents, which included meat and fish, to spoil.
He said too that the water covered his street and a relative who was visiting from another area fell and broke her foot.
