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SEVERAL residents of the flood-prone east Kingston community of Burger Gully have welcomed the announcement from Member of Parliament for Kingston Eastern and Port Royal Phillip Paulwell that close to 150 of them will be relocated.
Paulwell made the disclosure during his address at his annual constituency conference at Vauxhall High School just over one week ago.
“I am willing to relocate; a lot of people are willing too. We really want to see it happen. We a feel it, man. As high as the windows them be, water goes through them. All the stoves and fridge you seeing here, a wash them wash out a people house,” said one female resident as she pointed to several flood-damaged appliances.
“This has been happening for more than 40 years. I have been living here for 38 years and it has been flooding since then,” added the woman who noted that many persons are forced to start over when their homes are flooded during heavy rain.
Her sentiments were echoed by Alton Giscombe, a shopkeeper in the area.
“When it floods, the water comes straight into the shop; I have to place my goods on top of crates. Two a me fridge them mash up,” said Giscombe.
“I am comfortable with relocating because I wouldn’t want for the gully to be flooded again and it flood out my things them,” Giscombe added.
For Frank Smith, another resident, while he appreciates the initiative, he would rather the gully walls be adjusted to prevent the frequent flooding.
“They could have raised the gully a little higher and everybody could be happy. If they carry the gully wall another four feet or five feet high I think we would be happy because the water would just go down,” said Smith, who added that he recently learnt about the relocation initiative.
According to Smith, when the gully overflows its banks the water enters his house and destroys everything.
“Over the years I have been flooded out like six times. You have a time water come here and it don’t trouble me but when the gully bursts, it floods my home.
“Even right now my car is there. When I came out of my house the last time [the gully] burst, it flooded the car. It destroyed my transmission, seat, and engine — everything full of water,” Smith said, pointing to an abandoned car along the side of the gully.
For Hyacinth — who has lived in Burger Gully for 54 years — even though she is not directly affected by the flood waters, the initiative is welcomed.
“The last time the gully come dung it barely came into my house, [and] it did not destroy my stuff. But if it is safer and the community that we will be living in is okay, I will go,” said Hyacinth even as she underscored that she will miss her current community if she relocates.
The flooding of Burger Gully, an informal settlement also called 17 1/2 Mountain View Avenue, has been an ongoing problem but worsened last year as sections of the gully which runs through the community were damaged by flood waters.
According to Paulwell, the Government has already allocated $30 million to repair the gully, with work expected to be completed by next month.
He told the Observer that lands have been identified in the communities of Mountain View and Rockfort for the relocation of Burger Gully residents, but he is awaiting a response from minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan.
“I have identified three different parcels of land in and around the community. It is for the ministry now to come and do the proper surveying of the land,” Paulwell said.
