The unprecedented extent of flood damage across a large part of the country had residents from St Helena to La Horquetta questioning the role and function of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM).
Although the Meteorological Office warned of inclement weather days before the rains began on Wednesday, residents in affected areas were left stranded for hours as there seemed to be a delay in the response from the ODPM.
Just after 1 am yesterday, some residents in St Helena were forced to climb to their rooftops to escape the rising flood waters. Neighbours rescued some.
One resident, Jizzelle Baldwin, a diabetic, posted on social media that she was stranded for more than 14 hours in a vehicle with four children, all under the age of nine.
She was eventually rescued by a man with a boat who read about her plight on Facebook.
At a press conference, yesterday morning, ODPM head Captain Neville Wint and Minister of National Security Stuart Young were asked about Baldwin.
They said they looked for her while touring flooded areas in a helicopter. Young said they tried calling her number but could not locate her.
Instead of waiting for the ODPM, people across the country have been posting their flooding situations on social media seeking help for trapped seniors, elderly and children. (See Page A10)
In Greenvale, La Horquetta, residents described having to climb on refrigerators to avoid flood waters, then pushing through ceiling tiles to keep their heads above the flood waters.
Neighbours in St Helena helped each other because they felt waiting for help did not make sense.
“I have never seen it this bad in all my 40 years living here,” Kundaye Maraj said.
“Where is the ODPM? Where is anybody? Like the Government gone silent on we here.”
This is not the first time the ODPM has come under fire for its lack of preparedness.
In October 2017 then CEO Dave Williams resigned from the ODPM amid widespread criticism over the agency’s slow response to a flooding crisis.
The ODPM has been listing weather alerts on its website since October 16.
Just after 4 pm yesterday, the agency posted pictures of the emergency clearing of the Guayamare New Cut Channel by the Drainage Division of the Ministry of Works and Transport to help with the flood water runoff.
At 5 pm yesterday, members of the Defence Force and Red Cross used inflatable rafts to manoeuvre through flooded streets in St Helena, Kelly Village, and Centeno to rescue people who had been left stranded overnight.