Elderly woman affected by heavy rains

When 72-year-old Estel Williams was awakened by a loud rumbling sound on Sunday night, which she thought was probably an earthquake, little did she know that it was that of a massive landslide that has now threatened to destroy her house.

The elderly woman, who is also physically challenged, was hastily removed from her four-bedroom concrete house at Shrewsbury district in Western Portland by neighbours during the period of prolonged and heavy downpour of rain, after it was discovered that a nearby river, which was in spate, had removed a massive chunk of land at the back of her house.

It took the efforts of two young men and a girl, who are living just across the road from the elderly women, to carry her to safety, after several cracks started appearing on the outer walls of the back of the house, which is now hanging on the edge just above the nearby river.

“It rained all night Sunday and I was home with my granddaughter,” said Williams.

“I remember sometime during the night hearing a rumble and the house shook. So I thought that it was a earthquake. I can’t walk, but I was never scared or worried. However, I keep a close connection with my God. It was during daylight Monday when my grandchild went around the back and shouted out that there was a landslide.

“Neighbours from across the road came to my rescue and they carried me over to their home, where I spent the entire night on Monday, and where I will be staying at least for now. I really want some help to protect my house from collapsing, as it is my home. These people have treated me like family, which is good. I am hoping that I will get some help to build a wall or something to protect my house,” she added.

The nearby river, in claiming a portion of the land at the back of the house, also destroyed a chicken coop which housed several domestic birds (common fowl), which provided eggs for the family. Remnants of the chicken coop were seen in the gully at the edge of the river, with the domestic birds nowhere to be seen.

And, for neighbour Dorothy Leslie, who was all too willing to extend her hand of kindness and hospitality to the woman in need, she is only doing her duty as a human being in extending help to a neighbour.

“She is welcome here as long as she wants to stay,” said Leslie.

“There is no way that she can remain in that house for another night, as, with a heavy downpour, the entire house could collapse. I live here with my grandchildren and I have known Estel for more than 30 years, and she is good and decent woman. I am hoping that the authorities will see the need to address her situation speedily, as this is a real emergency,” she noted.

Councillor for the area, Stephen Williams said, since the incident took place after 8 a.m. on Monday, the Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz has been coordinating with all the relevant stakeholders to ensure that basic needs of the affected residents are met.

“The National Works Agency (NWA) did some clearance of the riverbed and managed to remove fallen trees that were blocking the smooth flow of water,” said Williams.

“We are concentrating and ensuring that they are safe and are provided with immediate relief supplies that can be afforded through the MP, the Portland Municipal Corporation, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The NWA will have to do a full assessment and report so that we know exactly what the damage is and what can be done in the long term.”

Since Saturday afternoon, the entire parish has been experiencing unfavourable weather conditions, which has caused landslides in the Rio Grande valley and the Buff Bay valley of Portland.

Gareth Davis