Flood trauma lingers

The image of his house being submerged in floodwaters still plagues 79-year-old Leebert Campbell, even haunting him in his dreams.

His home – located on Gibson Close, off Ward Avenue in Mandeville, Manchester – was one of three that were swamped when Hurricane Melissa unleashed up to 40 inches of rainfall on the island six months ago.

Last Tuesday, an anxious Campbell watched as heavy rainfall pushed floodwaters up to his front gate. As he looked on, he told The Gleaner that it brought back the fear he experienced when he and his neighbours had to be rescued by firefighters in the middle of the Category 5 hurricane after their homes were flooded.

He now lives in constant apprehension of heavy rainfall.

“When the rain fall, I gotta stay up. Even at nights, I can’t sleep. I gotta stay up and watch the water because the water come from all over the place,” he said.

Even while effecting repairs to the doors and roof of his home of almost 11 years, Campbell revealed that he is always thinking of an escape plan due to the lingering trauma.

“Mi can’t sleep at nights when it rains. I don’t want the water to get in here. If the water start get inside the house, I have to get out,” he said.

Pondering on his mental state, he noted that he has not received any psychological support.

“If I get help, I tek it, but I don’t know where to get help. I just be strong; I think I’ll be alright. I was born a man,” he said.

Campbell, however, told The Gleaner that he has received assistance from relatives abroad, and also received a $200,000 grant from the Government’s Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) Programme.

Although it is not enough for the work that needs to be done on the three-bedroom house, he is still grateful.

“We never know we was gonna get any help at all, so wi tek wi time and do it likkle by likkle,” he said.

His neighbour, Conrad Brooks, tells a different story. He said that despite various assessments conducted on his house by the relevant agencies, he is yet to get any help to aid in his recovery.

Nonetheless, Brooks, a garage operator and owner, said he has managed to replace the essentials in his house, such as a bed and stove.

“I don’t recover fully as yet. Nothing is in place from Melissa all now. As you see, it’s still raining and nothing put together as yet. We just do the basic clean-up and a try to move on,” he said.

A resident of the community for more than a decade, Brooks acknowledged that the area is flood-prone, but argued that it has got worse in recent times during heavy rainfall. He suspects it could be linked to the development of a nearby quarry.

“It’s not the ordinary rainfall mek ya suh flood out, y’know. It’s ‘cause of di water running from over there (the quarry),” he said. “It (water) come over here and back up because of the draining.”

However, Miquel Smith, owner of the quarry, disputed Brooks’ claim and maintained that the area is very flood-prone, and that his quarry has nothing to do with it.

“Not even bird build dem nest where it a go flood out,” he told The Gleaner. “Nature has to take its course. Even if we stop the quarry, the water has to run its course.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Jevari Faulknor said it took his family about two months after Hurricane Melissa to move back into their home.

“We had to renovate; furniture, beds, and mattresses. But we got help from people – churches and other institutions – who helped us along the way,” he said.

The Northern Caribbean University student said his mother, who is a teacher, was adamant that he and his three siblings maintain their education during the challenging period.

“It was a bit of a struggle, but we worked our way around it. Some of us stayed with our friends to make it to and from school. We just had to make do,” he said.

Conscious of dangers of flooding in this area, the youngster said he is not ruling out he and his family eventually moving from the area.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com