Angry flood washes away Murray’s Village house

Apart from over seven inches of rain, the surface trough that passed over this country on Wednesday morning also brought with it sorrow and grief for a number of persons.

One such person is Murray’s Village resident Yvonne ‘Ras’ Jones.{{more}}

Jones’ three-bedroom ply board house, situated in an area known as Hollywood, was completely destroyed when heavy rains saturated the ground above her home causing land slippage.

The security guard told SEARCHLIGHT that at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday she awoke, went outside and observed debris coming from above her home and falling into her yard.

She said that she sent someone to buy credit for her phone so that she could call the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), but by the time she went back into the house to get her phone to take photos of the debris, she realized that debris and mud were forcing their way into her house.

She said that she ran out the house and shouted to her son and stepson to get out of the structure. The two boys ran out of the house, after which stones, mud and a huge tree stump crashed into the wooden structure and broke it apart.

“The house was moving and when we ran out the house, it collapsed. I lost almost everything,” said Jones, who is asking for the help of the general public to get back on her feet.

“I lost all my shoes, I got back some clothes, but I lost my fridge and stove and wares,” said Jones, adding, “It is so devastating that I don’t even want to see the place.”

She noted that this is the first time she has experienced such a disaster.

“I feel real bad about it; every minute I crying because I work hard to own what I have there,” said the security guard.

She said that NEMO has rented a place for her to stay, but she would like to be able to rebuild her house which is home to seven persons.

Jones’s home is one of 38 structures which NEMO reports were damaged during the passage of the trough system. (LC)