SEVERAL residents in Matthew’s Ridge are now grappling with the aftermath of a heavy rainstorm that caused sections of the town to be flooded.

The heavy shower, which lasted for about three or more hours, caused the main creek that runs through the town to overtop, flooding an area within Matthew’s Ridge called the “flat.” Matthew’s Ridge is located within the Barima-Waini region.

According to residents there, the poorly maintained drainage network in the area, including that of a blocked creek, was among the main contributing factors.
Cleveland Smartt, a mechanic residing on the “flat” of Matthew’s Ridge, told the Guyana Chronicle that he started cleaning his waterlogged home late Saturday night after the floodwaters had receded.

The heavy rainstorm started around 15:00hrs on Saturday and lasted for about three hours, causing the main creek that runs through the town to overtop. According to Smartt, the overtopping occurred in “no time,” because the mouth of the creek is currently blocked with debris.

“The creek is blocked with trees, it needs clearing, it needs cleaning,” he told this newspaper.

According to him, the floodwaters not only covered his yard, but parts of his house as well. “In my house, the water was about 10 to 12 inches high,” Smartt pointed out, while noting that he managed to secure some of his household articles before the water became unmanageable.

Another resident, Lowanda Griffith, said she was severely affected by the flash- flood, dubbing it the “biggest one” in months.

“The water deh all over in meh house, meh kitchen, bedroom, all over,” Griffith said, while pointing out that her chairs and stereo music system have been damaged. “I barely get to save my fridge,” she told this newspaper.
Like Smartt, Griffith said the flashflood could have been prevented. “Nobody ain’t doing nothing to help us. The NDC needs to do something with the creek; the creek them need cleaning, they need a bigger culvert,” she said.

The resident said it is time the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) addresses the issue, noting that Saturday’s flashflood is just one of many that have occurred for the year.
“Every time the rain fall it does stress me out, because my house always getting flood out. This thing does happen steady and I am tired talking about it. I keep telling them, the people living in front of me, they have pit latrine, so when we get flood, is everything coming down,” Griffith said as she expressed her frustration.

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, contended that the NDC had got funds to desilt the creek and clear the koker, but not much was done. According to information reaching this newspaper, approximately 10 families, some of whom have businesses, were affected on the “flat.”

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Executive Member Christopher Jones, who has been in contact with the affected residents, said when the issue of the flood was brought to the attention of the NDC and regional officials there, they reportedly showed little interest.
“When residents became aware of the seriousness of the situation, several calls were reportedly made to Mr. Brian Peters, vice-chairman of the NDC, a PPP councillor in the Matarkai sub-region with direct responsibility for the very constituency, but he could not be reached. The residents also tried contacting the NDC chairperson, but their efforts again proved futile. Calls to the phone of Regional Chairman Mr. Brentol Ashley, who was in the sub-region at Port Kaituma, also went unanswered,” Jones said on popular social media platform, Facebook.

According to him, while the residents were battling the floods, their representatives were in Port Kaituma at a political meeting campaigning for the November 12 Local Government Elections.

The Guyana Chronicle made several attempts to contact the NDC vice-chairperson but to no avail.