A house collapsed and several roofs were badly damaged during stormy conditions at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice on Monday afternoon at around 5.30 pm.
While most residents lost two to three galvanized sheets from their roofs, one woman’s one-storey wooden house collapsed to the ground, while one couple lost their entire roof. Stabroek News visited the area yesterday and most residents were in their neighbour’s yard looking for their missing roofing sheets, in an effort to repair their roof before nightfall.
However, Sheila Harrichand was left with no choice but to seek shelter at her next door neighbour’s house until she can afford to completely repair her house.
She recalled, “I was inside the house then heavy breeze and rain start, and I start close up them window, but before I could close all, I feel the house shaking.”
According to the woman, her main concern at that time was “saving herself,” hence she immediately rushed out of the house and was on the stairs when, “… the house gone down with me standing up.”
The 58-year-old woman sustained no injuries, for which she is thankful. Harrichand, a domestic worker who lives alone is seeking help from the general public in order to put together a “small house to live in, because I don’t have anywhere else to go.” Persons can contact her on telephone number 629 5972.
Meanwhile, Bohwanie Matalama, 53, stated that she and her family were downstairs when the heavy winds began.
“We nah really know wah go on, then them run go upstairs, them see the roof fly and gone. After the roof gone everything soak, everything wet, wet,” Bohwanie relayed.
According to the woman, this is the first time in her entire life she has ever witnessed such heavy winds.
Matalama, who resides with her husband, two daughters, son, daughter-in- law and two grandchildren said, “Me nah get no money now, none right now. We would be thankful for a little help to put back one roof over we head.” Persons can contact Matalama on telephone number 649 3763.
Another resident, Brian Lee, 23, stated that he was at work when he was informed, that the roofing sheets were flying off his roof. “When I came home, I see the one side of my roof gone”, he said. He noted, that his wife and three-year-old son were in the house at the time. However, he is thankful that no one was injured.
Stabroek News was told that regional officials had visited the affected residents yesterday.
