Rockies family scampers to safety as house collapses

When Debbie Ashton went to bed on Monday night, she did not envision that hours later her family would be scampering out to seek refuge when their house collapsed in a gully.

When SEARCHLIGHT visited the Rockies family on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Ashton explained that she was dressed in borrowed clothes as she was unable to salvage any possessions from the home where she has lived for almost three and a half decades.

Now homeless and without any basic necessities, she disclosed that her mind is heavy as she contemplates what are the next steps for her and her family.

She and the other house occupants- her partner, two adult sons and daughter lost all their material possessions including mobile phones, household appliances, and clothes after the heavy rains, which intensified from 10:30 pm on Monday night, caused the land to slip.

Ashton explained that her son raised the alarm after he heard a ‘cracking’ sound which he initially believed was an earthquake.

“After 12 [am] about minutes to 1 [am], we hear the dogs barking. My son said he hear something like a crack, almost like an earthquake. Then he said ‘no this is not no earthquake’. Then we saw the muck come from up on the top but we couldn’t do anything.”

Ashton explained that as the household appliances shifted, it trapped the family inside.

“The fridge come down by my bedroom door and he had to push up the fridge so I can ease out, then he pulled out my hand. One-by-one. It stopped by the front door and it was through the back door we had to go. We even had to kick out the back door to fly out. Time we fly out now, we just hear ‘crack, crack, crack crack’, the muck take the house and carry it down in the back.”

Due to the way in which the house fell, the family’s escape route took them further into the gully rather than moving onto the more stable land heading towards the main road. Other neighbours had to lend assistance and move the group to a safer area.

Ashton said she believed the heavy rains forced the water through the gully as opposed to flowing through the drains positioned around the hillside.

She said that if the family had any indication that the period of heavy rains which began from the weekend of November 8 when a trough system passed over St Vincent, would have had the results it did last weekend, they would have made plans to vacate the property.

“From last week it was there good, if we had seen any issues, we would’ve done moved out.”

Over a period of three days, November 8-10, the SVG Met Office recorded close to five inches of rainfall accumulation resulting in a flash-flood warning being issued.

Ashton, who has taken up residence with one of her daughters who lives nearby, said the family needs assistance in relocating and getting back on their feet following the unexpected disaster.

She issued a plea to Vincentians to assist with relief items, including food stuff, clothing and monetary donations.

Persons are asked to contact Shirleen Ashton at 1-784-532-0590.