Home of Buccament man flooded three times in last four years

Renrick Quashie, the man whose home has been flooded out three times in the last four years, says he is deflated by the latest washout.

Quashie told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that the water from the heavy rains and subsequent flooding, last weekend, once again passed through his two-bedroom home, destroying his belongings, and leaving him dejected.{{more}}

“I feel worse than ever. I’m disintegrated. I’m falling apart, because for so long I’ve been asking for help and little or nothing has been done.

“What they give to me in terms of trying to get my life back on track and redesigning my house and trying to get my house on a higher level is futile.

“My house is under construction; I bought some cement and some lumber; the cement them got wet up, some of the lumber float away, even the new stove that the Government gave to me, that gone. A couple boxes that we have pack up with stuff from the relief fund, they got wet up as well. Crops that we planted, everything gone back to square one.”

Quashie told SEARCHLIGHT that he thought that works done recently at the river’s edge, to construct a temporary embankment would have put a stop to any flooding in the area, but pointed out that it took less than half an hour after the rain started on Friday evening, for the river to overrun the embankment and envelop his, as well as neighbours’ homes, and a primary school not too far away.

The security guard says that he believes gabion baskets or a retaining wall along the length of the river would solve any further issues, lamenting that works done during the construction of the Buccament Bay resort stopped short of his and his neighbours’ homes, and contributes to the deluge during heavy rains.

When asked if he had considered moving from the area, Quashie said that it was an option he would consider if offered.

He, however, said that it would be selfish of him to move if offered, and leave his neighbours in the same predicament.

“What needs to be done immediately is to start constructing the river defence….

“In the meantime, I would like to appeal to any business to assist my family to get some building materials and another call for the Government to give more assistance in terms of building materials, for us to be at a safe place.”

Quashie suffered flooding during the 2013 December 24 and 25 rains, as well as in October 2011.