…as storm rips through Bath Settlement

SIX houses were partially damaged and another was flattened at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, when a storm ripped through a section of the village late Monday afternoon.
Block D 1 of Bath Settlement resounded to the sounds of zinc sheets being hammered on to the roofs of homes as affected residents hustled to replace blown-away roofs before nightfall.

One home owner was not so lucky with her property: Ms Sheila Harrichan, 58, escaped injury, but the wind sent her home crashing to the ground with her trapped on the verandah. Her home was flattened and will have to be reconstructed, a staff of the regional administration of Region Five, which is offering her help, said.

Other home-owners reported additional losses due to rain damage of electrical items such as television sets, DVD players, refrigerators and freezers as the storm with accompanying sheets of rain, loud thunder and lightning hammered that section of the village for about 15 minutes before abating.

A lifelong resident of Bath Settlement said that the slanting rain, loud thunder and flashing sheets of lightning was the worst he had ever experienced. “Everything turn black and white. We couldn’t see anything for that period,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Harrichan who lives alone and who was the worst-hit victim of the storm, is in dire need of assistance in terms of shelter and reconstruction of her home. Her husband died 16 years ago, she said and she is a two-day-a-week domestic worker “I don’t have the financial resources to rebuild. All my furniture and belongings are exposed to the weather. I have nowhere to go. “

Kind neighbours rescued her Monday night and last night. People’s National Congress Parliamentarian for Region Five Miss Jennifer Wade and Mr Abel Seetaram of the AFC visited the area yesterday and collected information on what assistance was needed. Regional Executive Officer of the region, Ovid Morrison, said that the region will assist Ms Harrichan with rebuilding, but it will take some time.

Regional Engineer Dhanpaul Sukha explained: “Our first thought was that all we had to do was jack up the house and place it back on the blocks. But on investigation our carpenters found that the beams of the house had been badly damaged. They have to dismantle and reconstruct.”

Meanwhile, Mr Seetaram was yesterday afternoon mobilising assistance to help the storm victims and in particular Ms Harrichan to regain the shelter of her own home.