Several families are now homeless after two range houses at the East La Penitence housing compound collapsed late Thursday afternoon.
One of the buildings collapsed in its entirety while the other, which housed at least five families, partially collapsed.
According to Devon (only name given), the incident occurred around 5.30 pm on Thursday. He revealed that he, his five-year-old stepson Dominic, and his sister-in-law were the only persons in the house when it started to collapse. His reputed wife was outside.
“I went in front by the door; my child mother was sitting by the steps and she turn and tell me, ‘Watch this thing leaning’, but I ain’t tek it for nothing. Then I turn around and I see the whole thing coming right down and a beam fall on my foot and my son went lil close and a zinc fall on he and knock he on his shoulder but just as that happen, I throw he to he mother,” he recalled, before adding that his sister-in-law sustained injuries.
He related that his family, which
consists of his common-law wife and their two children, slept on the ground outside on Thursday night. “We didn’t even sleep last night because we were so uncomfortable ‘cause we had to sleep on the floor in the yard. We have nowhere to go to like some of the other people who live here,” Devon lamented.
Meanwhile, some of the families who were in the compound when Stabroek News visited, said that the range houses were built approximately 23 years ago and have not been repaired since.
Natasha Alexander, who resided in the collapsed house with her four children, disclosed that the building was built by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government, which had been in power during that time. She said that it was supposed to be a temporary shelter until they could be given the house lots they were promised.
“They bring us here to live for three months temporarily. In the end, we stay here like 23 years hay suh and sometimes it might get a lil damage and we does try to patch up as much as we could but that’s all we could do just to be comfortable til they could ready for we but we never get land. Some people who get land move so we just deh trying to make it a home til they ready for we,” Alexander said.
She explained that at every election, they pleaded with the two major political parties for assistance and were promised that the house would be repaired or they would be given a plot of land. However, she said, to date, neither promises were fulfilled.
The visibly distressed woman went on to say that although they went to a friend’s home to seek shelter Thursday night, they had to sleep on the floor because there was barely any space. “We ain’t deh so bad like he [Devon] and he family because he lil lil children them had nowhere to go and had to sleep on the ground,” she added before saying that because of what happened, she can’t go to work.
Another occupant of the house, Mirella Blackman, 22, said that many household items in her one-bedroom apartment were damaged but she hadn’t gotten a chance to assess how much exactly. Like most of the occupants of the house, she didn’t sleep well. Unlike the others, she has been living in the building for only four years with her small daughter.
Blackman said that she was lucky that neither she nor her child was at home. “I come home from work, put down me bag and went to collect me daughter. Lucky thing nobody ain’t get to go inside or else we woulda be badly injured. My cousin wa live at the back there deh more worse. You can’t even go at the back there to see what happen. Everything just deh bad there,” she said. Meanwhile, Rhonda Nedd said nearly all her household appliances were damaged. Her bed, gas stove and fridge were all severely damaged when the building collapsed. She said that she can afford to replace her wares but not those bigger items. She added that she is hoping that someone can bring materials to help her rebuild the house. Like Alexander, the mother of one has lived in the house for 23 years.
Ten minutes after that building tumbled, another building collapsed in the same compound. That building had one occupant, Renita La Rose. According to her cousin, Wanda, many household appliances were damaged during the collapse.
When Stabroek News visited the compound, wares, refrigerators, tables and numerous sofas could be seen in the wreckage. The families are pleading for government assistance saying that their children cannot go to school because they are afraid to go into the house to get necessities.
