Bull Bay residents look to pick up the pieces

Leo Thompson woke up on his birthday at a friend's house on Monday. He was forced to abandon his home after the Chalky River overflowed its banks, ran through his house and left everything mud-stained, some destroyed.

When he returned to his community in Nine Miles, Bull Bay, and entered his home, he felt like a pig wallowing in mud. With every step, there was a splatter of thick, brown, dirty water. Standing at his doorway, he had to hang on to the wall as he skid in mud.

"Me a 46-year-old today, and a mud and water me affi a go through. Yesterday (Sunday) me deh here and the gully buss, and a through me house everything afi a run through. Everything wet up ... bed, TV, clothes, everything mud up," Thompson told THE STAR. "Fridge mash up, TV mash up ... bed soak, everything! Shoes, slippers, me daughter school things gone! Everything gone a sea!"

As Thompson pushed mud from his house, his babymother and daughter sat outside over buckets, brushing mud from the few pieces of clothes that remained. His babymother could only mumble "Me caah talk now, me nuh have nothing fi seh."

Thompson was among several residents who had to abandon the house on Sunday night.

"We afi a walk inna mud and water. Mi daughter and mi babymother affi a wash out clothes right now. A bare mud and water. We couldn't even sleep ina the house last night. A one a me friend dem did a fi put we up. Me did afi go look rescue over me bredren yard," he said.

Thompson has lived in Bull Bay all his life. What he experienced Sunday night is something he has never seen before.

"All me bucket a food wash weh gone a sea last night. Everything gone ... me just inside and see the bucket a wash weh outside inna water. The things flow pass me. A di first me ever experience nothing like this. The gully just a run through the yard dem. Everything flow gone, we nuh have nothing. We nuh have nuh clothes. Right now we want some help!" he added.

RESCUE MISSION

Melissa Douglas, his neighbour, was also left in thick, uncomfortable mud after the rain. But she had to rescue her 66-year-old mother, who was almost washed away.

"We afi run out the house! Me nearly lose me mada two times. She nearly wash weh two times! She nuh have no clothes! Everything ina har room gone! I don't know where to start or what to do. I don't know where to start cleaning," Douglas said.

"Me nuh have nothing. Me afi send weh me two-year-old daughter. Me affi put up me fridge pon the wet bed because a bare mud. Me dresser draw dem wid clothes gone. Nuh draw nuh ina me dresser. Everything ina me daughter room gone! The only thing leave in deh is a fan blade. All har roof drop dung."