Businesses Closed, School Halted by Floodwaters in Peini

Floodwater brought parts of Punta Gorda to a standstill today, shutting down schools, closing businesses, and leaving residents wading through submerged streets. But as the cleanup begins, questions are already surfacing about what really went wrong. Environmental advocate Wil Maheia says this wasn’t just a natural disaster. He’s pointing to poor drainage, unchecked littering, and what he calls a lack of preparedness by the town council as key factors that made a bad situation worse. Now, as the water slowly recedes, many are asking whether this flooding could have been prevented.

 

 Wil Maheia, Resident

“The situation with the flooding is, again, negligence on the Punta Gorda Town Council. We know this every year after year that in June is when the first rain comes. So you need to be prepared. Clean out the drains but the drains because it was dry was neglected for the past six months. The dry season, so nobody pays it attention. Everybody use it for their garbage bin. And then the rain come, so the garbage forms like a dam in the drains. And then when the rain come, it overflows. Now, the quick thing they’ll say, “Oh, it’s climate change.” It’s time for us as a country to stop using climate change as an excuse. The Punta Gorda Town Council have failed miserably. They also got the authority from the Department of Environment to fine people for littering. Not a single fine has been issued to anyone for littering. So they are tolerating it. So again, Department of Environment have to talk with the town council, enforce those no littering fine. A lot of it have to do with litter, but a lot of it have to do on negligence on the part of the Punta Gorda Town Council. They had ample time to clean out the drains before the rains.”

 

Last night was the first major rain of the season in Punta Gorda. Residents say even areas like Cayetano Street that do not usually flood were under water today.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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