While the Ministry of Social Development officials were yesterday distributing a further 620 cheques to flood-affected residents in Central, approximately 350 households seemed to be by-passed by the assessment team.
Just over 400 other affected households are also yet to receive their relief cheques up to yesterday’s date.
However, ministry officials said the distribution of cheques to an additional 620 households was given out over the past three days (Monday to yesterday).
The residents, who received cheques were from Kelly Village, St Helena, Madras, Warren, El Carmen and environs. The distribution exercise took place at the Warrenville Regional Complex.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, affected flood resident, Glen Brown of Boysie Trace, Kelly Village, said his total estimated cost of losses incurred exceeded $35,000. He said his Bluebird Sylphy car was completely destroyed by the floods and the cost to have it repaired already reached at $23,000.
“The whole car was covered in the flood, only its hood was showing…Pressure! In my house I lost everything from vinyl to the couch set to the Tower in my computer to my mattress…everything damaged, which I estimate it to be about $15,000,” Brown said.
Brown said the only people he saw and spoke to were officials from the office of the Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh.
He said, “I am a working man still so I didn’t catch up with anyone else and I guess nobody saw it fit to check back on me if I wasn’t there when they came. So, in the end, I was not assessed.”
Brown, however, yesterday visited the ministry’s office in Port-of-Spain where he was told to put his name, address and contact number on a list that was left by the security guard.
“I was told that when I do that a team will pass so I really hope so now. Just now (yesterday afternoon) one of my neighbours told me that they called him to come and collect his cheque today (yesterday),” Brown said.
Another resident, a widow, Listra Bhagwandeen, 50, of Ragoonath Street, Kelly Village, said she also was not assessed and was forced to visit the ministry’s office yesterday.
“They just took down my name and number and said that someone will contact me but how come they missed me because some of my neighbours in my street got their cheques,” Bhagwandeen said.
“I live there with my two sons, my daughter-in-law and her newborn baby and most of our things destroyed. The two washing machines, fridge, deep freezer, stove, vinyl, couch…all that gone through and I had to get rid of the things because it started to smell stink,” she added.
Bhagwandeen said that all she got was a hamper and a bachelor mattress from Gopeesingh’s constituency office. When contacted for comment yesterday, Gopeesingh said that personnel from his office listed about 1,026 affected whouseholds.
“Out of that over 300 were not seen by the ministry’s assessment team and over 400 did not receive their cheques, so that is close to 800 affected households that did not get what was promised to them by the government and the ministry,” Gopeesingh said.
“These people are already depressed and suffering and it is their constitutional right that the promises made to them are kept,” he added.
Gopeesingh also noted that some affected residents with children, who were supposed to get $20,000 cheques were “only give $10,000 along with a promissory note; some got their $20,000 and some got their $15,000 those without children as promised but what about those who weren’t assessed and who were assessed and no cheques?”
Gopeesingh threatened to join his colleague Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal in bringing legal action against the State should the issue fails to be addressed by ministry officials.
On Monday, during a visit to the flood victims in Penal and Debe, Moonilal called on state agencies to provide compensation to residents in seven days or face legal action.
He also threatened to initiate court action against the Government if residents are not treated equally and with the same urgency as other flood victims.
