-grinds traffic to a halt
THE Ocean View International Hotel and Convention Centre and a gas station were among several businesses and residential buildings hard hit by flood waters yesterday morning when the fierce waves of the Atlantic Ocean roared over a section of the East Coast Seawall, causing appalling destruction.
Premises along an approximate one-mile stretch of road extending from the Russian Embassy on the Rupert Craig Highway eastwards to Turkeyen were overwhelmed, forcing residents in the respective neighbourhoods and guests at the hotel to keep indoors as flood waters, in some cases knee-high, overran trenches and inundated bridges.
Telephone lines at the hotel were also apparently affected, since this newspaper was unable to make contact with management, using the numbers in the telephone directory.

Eerie spectacle
It was terrifying to watch the implacable waves hurtling over the Dutch-constructed seawalls to almost instantaneously flood cars, trucks, and other forms of motor vehicles plying the main East Coast thoroughfare. As a consequence, traffic ground to a standstill, as many vehicles suffered mechanical and auto-electrical failure due to damage caused by water.
Several vehicles attempting to make their way through did not manage, and were eventually abandoned by motorists and commuters, who were forced to ‘foot it’ out of the danger trail.
Other areas said to have been seriously affected by this eerie spring tide were: The Stabroek Wharf and Municipal Market, which were severely flooded out; Parika Waterfront and commercial area; and a section of Leguan Island, in Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands).

These items of heavy duty equipment were also having problems going through the waters; hopefully, the fittest survived (Photos by Cullen Bess-Nelson)