Flood victims feel neglected - MP asks them to be more patient

One month after floodwaters washed through their homes and swept away their animals, beds and clothes, residents of Pennants in North Central Clarendon are still looking to their political representatives to help them piece their lives back together.

The residents told THE STAR last Wednesday that it seems as if Pearnel Charles Sr, their member of parliament for more than 20 years, has forgotten about them.

"Is just Trout Hall Mr Charles pass and go," Sandra Clarke told THE STAR. "The rain jus a dew now, and look how the trench full a water. They need to do something about it, 'cause if the rain fall too hard the same thing is going to happen."

When the floodwaters burst the banks of the Rio Minho on May 15, Clarke and her neighbours had to seek refuge on the counter of a shop in front of her house.

Jamie Elliot was among those persons in that shop, and he said he visited Charles at his constituency office to tell him about his plight.

"Mi tell yuh about mi four pickney that we don't have no bed to sleep on, and yuh a go tell mi that rain a fall you can't deal with nothing, is only assess you can assess," Elliot complained.

When contacted, Charles admitted that he has been focusing more on Trout Hall since it was one of the worst affected areas.

"The Trout Hall section is worst than Pennants because the river has taken hundreds of acres of land; and even the makeshift bridge that we had done there, all of that has been washed away," Charles said.

"So if you go out there now, the tractor is cleaning, and we are going to be making another makeshift bridge to go across the river to take the people to Trout Hall."

According to Charles, the damage has been done and cannot be fixed overnight. He is, therefore, asking residents to be patient.