A 25-year-old woman said yesterday that she and her three-year-old son are among five other family members who are homeless following Tuesday’s stormy weather, which ripped off the roof of their Housing Development Corporation (HDC) apartment Building One at Trou Macaque, Laventille.
Speaking with the Express via telephone, DavyAnne Young recalled the day that all was lost for her. Young said as the heavy winds came, taking the roof from over their heads, her three-year-old, unable to comprehend the danger that was afoot, was laughing while she and her 25-year-old sister sought to exit the apartment.
She lived at the apartment with her three-year-old son, her mother, her mother’s partner and her three sisters. She said her other family members are seeking shelter by family and friends who were able to provide temporary accommodation.
She said, “Everybody just split up. Nobody can’t comfort anybody right now, so nobody not really getting in contact with anybody. I just fend for myself and my son. That is the most that I could have done,” she said.
She said the HDC provided shelter for the residents at the Morvant Community Centre, but she did not feel safe at that location so, instead, she stayed at the homes of two different friends—one at Woodbrook and the other at El Socorro—on Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively.
She did not know where she would have stayed last night.
She also suggested “to make residents comfortable they could have probably get somewhere close until, and see how fast they (HDC) could get the roof done… to put people in a community centre it just depressing, it really depressing”.
Young stressed she wanted the roof of her apartment fixed so that she could return to her home, adding that she believes the roof being blown off could have been prevented.
She said, “I have been making a lot of reports about the ceiling numerous times. I’ve been going in the head office (of the) HDC.
“They (HDC) came, took pictures, I indicated that I am living with my son, he is only three years, he is a toddler, and anything could crawl through the way how my ceiling was. It was coming down. It was easy for anything to fall through and damage my son.
“In the planning (Building One) every day does be regular strong breeze, so as the days go by the (stronger) the breeze come, it damaging the roof. That day when the incident took place, that was the last straw for the roof.
“We lost everything already. TV lost, fridge, microwave, iron, everything just floating in the water. Most things lost. Grocery items, all these things I lost.”
She said the HDC visited the apartment on Wednesday “because the neighbour downstairs was getting wet. So they came to lift the tiles so that the water that was in my apartment wouldn’t leak downstairs by her”.
She also said she welcomed any assistance from the public that would aid in her getting back on her feet.
HDC: July 21
deadline in place
The HDC said yesterday that emergency roof repairs on Building 1 and Building 4 will be completed on July 21, 2023, the date determined to be the most feasible for concluding the essential emergency reconstruction activities for Buildings 1 and 4 Trou Macaque.
The HDC said in a media release that emergency roofing works in Building 1 and Building 4 involved metal frame construction for Building 4 and the re-installation of wood frame roofing for Building 1. Ceiling installation, plumbing and electrical works are integral parts of this project.
The Corporation assured the affected residents and the broader community that the HDC remained committed to completing the emergency roofing repairs on schedule, and that they were working to restore normalcy and provide a secure living environment for them.
If you are interested in assisting DavyAnn Young and her family you can contact her at 306 3588.