Wheelchair-bound Juliet Bobb-Semple yesterday remained one of hundreds of citizens in dire need of assistance following Wednesday’s flooding.
Bobb-Semple, who has been left in a wheelchair after she was accidentally shot by police officers in 2009, was featured on the front page of yesterday’s edition of this newspaper as one of the many residents at Grove, East Bank Demerara who were affected.
Bobb-Semple was found on Thursday sitting in her broken wheelchair encircled by water, her feet soaking in the shin-deep pool. Her relatives said there was nowhere they could move her to that was drier as the entire house was flooded.
When Stabroek News revisited the woman’s residence yesterday, the yard as well as the inside of the house was still covered in water. However, Bobb-Semple’s feet were no longer lodged in the water as they were resting on a stool as her relatives traversed the house in long boots.
A report had been made to the Ministry of Social Protection about Bobb-Semple’s plight, in the hope that she would be offered some assistance. However, what Bobb-Semple received was a rude phone call from an unknown individual who accused her of being untruthful.
The woman on the phone, who did not identify herself to Bobb-Semple, told her that she too is a resident of the Diamond/Grove area, and since the section where she lived was not affected by flooding, Bobb-Semple was obviously being untruthful.
Bobb-Semple said she made attempts to correct that, explaining that she lives in a different section. However, the individual then asked her what type of assistance she was looking for.
Stating that she asked for assistance in getting a new wheelchair, Bobb-Semple explained that her current situation would be enhanced if she were able to move around.
The woman related that the wheelchair which was donated to her by the Ministry of Health had been broken for the past three weeks.
While she made attempts to have another donated by Food for the Poor, the woman stated that the process is a lengthy one. Purchasing a new wheelchair is currently beyond her budget.
She went on to explain that based on previous advice by a doctor, she is not supposed to expose her injured foot to water for extended periods of time. However, in light of the recent flooding in the area, she is unable to avoid that at this point of time. She said a nephew had since indicated the intention to relocate her until the water in her house receded. However, by late yesterday afternoon the water had started to recede.