Family survives near-death flooding experience

As rains associated with Tropical Storm Ida pelted the island last Friday, Christal Campbell watched as her furniture floated in her house; then something sank – it was her heart.

Campbell said she was next to tears when her eight-year-old daughter Mariah asked, “Mommy, are we going to die?” as floodwaters gushed into their home. She said the child continued, “I don’t want to die today.”

Floodwaters gushed through Campbell’s home, destroying school supplies, furniture and even her vehicles, which were almost submerged.

It was only three months ago that the family moved to Fyall Estate in Four Paths, Clarendon, and due to the traumatic experience, they are already making plans to relocate. “That experience is something I never want to go through again. I don’t think I should ever be in a situation where my child is going to ask, ‘Am I going to die today?’” the mother said.

She told The Gleaner that neighbours related that they had never before experienced flooding of such magnitude in the area, and that the construction of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000 was the cause of the new flooding woes.

Speaking with The Gleaner last Thursday, Member of Parliament for Clarendon South Western Lothan Cousins chided the National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited over the excess flooding in Toll Gate, a neighbouring community.

Campbell, who also has a one-year-old child, said she watched helplessly as a bed that her children were on, started floating in the water. She then decided to put her older child to sit atop a closet.

No help

She told The Gleaner that her fears were compounded by the fact that assistance from the fire and police stations was not forthcoming. She said she was informed by the May Pen Fire Station that a unit would be dispatched to assist her family, but hours later, there was no sign of help.

“I called back and explained to them that the water was coming into the house, and that the bed was floating because the water was coming in from both the back and the front of the house. I explained to them I have a one-year-old and an eight-year-old that were on the bed, but because the bed was moving we couldn’t stay one place,” she said.

“When I realised the water was getting taller than me, I called them again and I said, ‘I still have the kids, what do I do?’” She said she was advised by a representative at the May Pen Fire Station to seek assistance from relatives, but she explained that her relatives’ vehicles were no match for the volume of water.

“The lady said, ‘You have any friend you can call? You don’t have any family member? At this point you’re gonna have to try saving yourself ... there’s nothing else we can do for you.’ The fire department basically gave up on us,” said Campbell.

After hours of pondering an escape, the family managed to seek refuge on the second floor of the two-storey building, after escaping through a hole Campbell’s spouse had managed to chop into a dry wall. “The good thing is that it wasn’t concrete, or else I wouldn’t be here talking to you today,” Campbell said.

Campbell, a customer service representative, related that she called her employer and informed him about the tragedy, and possible damage of the computers which she was given to work from home.

“I explained to him that I was going to try to save my kids. I even showed him the hole we were going to go through. I could barely fit through the hole, so I couldn’t guarantee I was going to save the computers,” she said, adding that her employer was very understanding.

Speaking on how she managed to fit through the hole, she said, “When trouble ketch you, pikney shut fit yuh.” She lauded her landlord who sent a truck later on in the night to relocate them to her mother’s home.

Campbell’s mom said her daughter’s experience highlights the need for compassion within Jamaica’s essential services.

“Where is the care? I’m a member of the Jamaica Red Cross and I would risk leaving home to help other persons. So in a time when we need help, where is the help we call on?” she questioned.

Dennis Lyon, acting deputy superintendent in charge of the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s Clarendon division, told The Gleaner he was not aware of Campbell’s plight. He said, however, that the alleged response from a member of his team was not in keeping with the Fire Brigade’s policy. “It is a serious allegation, because we’re here to serve the public at all times. I can assure that I will be investigating the matter,” he said.