CLARENDON: Residents of Portland Cottage in Clarendon, who are saying they are fed up with being the constant victims of natural disasters, are now crying out to be relocated.

With several feet of water running on the main road into the community, persons on the brink of tears echoed the plea for relocation.

"We need to be immediately relocated, who have five room if we get one we will take it, if we get two we will tek it, we are fed up of the situation, tired of the promises, its action time now," remarked Albert Gopie.

Having gone into the community, The Gleaner team was taken on an extensive tour to Village Street, where several householders continued counting their losses from the heavy rains.

Glenford Mullings, a father of three, who lived in the community for over 30 years showed the news team several feet of water surrounding his house just as he was recovering from the passage of Hurricane Dean.

"Mi woulda lef" yah so right now to any higher ground, because see it deh, everything gone even the little shop to send the children to school," said Mullings, looking away in the distance, while his children, oblivious to the conditions, played in the murky water.

Several residents echoed Mr. Mullings' sentiments.

From Village to Belgium Street, The Gleaner was shown that there is a water channel that overflows everytime the sea swells. During Hurricane Ivan seven lives were lost on account of this scenario.

sad memories live on

The residents claimed the sad memories lived on, and that there was a need for immediate intervention where relocation is concerned.

They claim they have been short-changed in the recent removal exercise as they were not given the chance to move to higher ground and now the situation has become desperate.

Dalton Binda, another resident, said enough is enough.

"Mi cyaan tek it no more, we need to move. Recently, mi ketch dengue and before mi recover, the flood is now taking a toll and you know that mosquito will be eating us alive," he said.

Another person, who expressed concerns is 85-year-old Thomas Collins. He told The Gleaner he had been living in the community for the last 60 years, and it was the worst in terms of flooding he had seen.

He showed the news team blocked drains from Mongoose Bridge to Bamboo Bridge, and claimed that a lack of maintenance was the major reason for the flooding as the water could not go out to sea.

Meanwhile, when The Gleaner caught up with chairman of the Clarendon Parish Council, Mayor Milton Brown, he looked a worried man.

"We know that persons are suffering in Portland Cottage, Mitchell Town, Hayes, Rocky Point and the surroundings and we will be lobbying central government to get funding to do a massive drain cleaning exercise," he said.

He pointed out, however, that residents needed to exercise some level of civility in disposing of their waste, which has clogged several drains.

- Rasbert Turner