30/11/2016
Today in Barbados, we struggled with rain. Lots and lots of rain and the island-wide flooding that ensued. The volume of rain and the flooding that occurred was startling to us all. However, thankfully so far - other than numerous stalled vehicles there have been no reports of casualties or loss of life.
As the popular saying states, there is nothing new under the sun, and as we see in the report below some 67 years ago there was a similar flood, with much more tragic consequences
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FLOOD (September 1st 1949)
For the first time in the history of the island has there been such widespread damage and loss of life caused by flood waters from the country districts carrying lives, animals, houses, trees and much valuable household property into the mouth of the Careenage in Bridgetown. The day before, the whole island was on alert for a hurricane which was announced, but by 3:30 in the afternoon, according to reports it was approaching St. Lucia. Shops in Bridgetown were closed and most of the people deserted the city. The fears of the inhabitants were allayed when a message from the Government said there was no need for alarm. At 6 o’clock in the afternoon of August 31st, rain clouds gathered and at 6:30 the clouds broke and the rains descended. Sharp lightening and terrific peals of thunder continued throughout the night and at daybreak the damage could then be truly estimated.
The following is an account which appeared in the “Advocate” newspaper: -
“Barbados has been described in travelogues and handbooks as being outside the path of hurricanes. The events of the last two days bring the statement within the realm of controversy. Eight people and hundreds of domestic animals were drowned and thousands of dollars were lost in property, poultry and furniture. It was in August 1924 that the last hurricane hit this island. In that day, the warning was carried throughout the island by policemen on horseback and many lives were saved. Twenty-five years after the most modern equipment for disseminating information had misled the people and lulled them into a false sense of security.
Early in the day, Wednesday, it was announced unofficially, that the center of the hurricane had passed the island at 11 a.m. Later it was announced that the hurricane had passed at 3:30 p.m. At 7 p.m. the Hurricane Relief Organization stood down. The population, despite heavy rains, sharp flashes of lightning and heavy peals of thunder, believed that the danger had passed. For eight hours, the rain fell and the winds blew. And while many took precautions to board up windows and doors, others in their flimsy houses were left at the mercy of the elements.
The floodwater from several districts converged in the Constitution River and it was here that the major trouble started. The wall at Queen’s Park blocked the water and flooded the surrounding areas. Houses with their occupants went down stream into the River on the way to the Careenage; some were smashed on the way to the sea. Hundreds of domestic animals died in their coops, cages and pens. Three hundred feet of this wall fell; the Governor’s Gate at Queen’s Park was damaged, the approach to the Victoria Bridge was damaged making the bridge impassable. A thankful people who had felt relief that the hurricane had passed, awoke to find that much destruction had been wrought.
Delamere Land, Martindales Road was worse hit because of the lack of proper drainage. Two hours after the center of a tropical disturbance located by the Meteorological Observatory at San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday night 180 miles east of Barbados had been supposed to have passed the island, a squall from the south brought heavy rains which fell continuously for eight hours and sharp flashes of lightening and heavy peals of thunder disturbed the quiet and rest of the night.
By daybreak, in one district half mile outside Bridgetown, seven dead bodies were gathered for the Mortuary, 27 houses were found to have been removed and some of them floated into Carlisle Bay. Hundreds of domestic animals were dead. In the Delamere Land District, residents were actually trapped in their houses and drowned. The flimsy houses themselves, which could not withstand the force of the water were smashed. Domestic furniture and utensils of every description floated into the Constitution river, while the force of the water broke down the guard wall, passed through the inner basin and left bits of clothing in the wild mangrove and other shrubbery growing alongside the Constitution Swamp.
The Baby Cheche run by Mr. John Beckles M.B.E., housed in a Government building near the old Railway Station was flooded with water to a depth of about seven feet. It was providential that the children housed there did not lose their lives. At an early hour Mr. Beckles removed them to a safer and dryer spot.
In Halls Road, a shop owned by Mt. Atweell along with its entire contents was smashed and removed, and flour, sugar, rice, meal, salted meat and other groceries could be seen at Queen’s Park gate. Here too in the Constitution Swamp were the bodies of two women from Bridge Road who had been trapped and drowned. In the center of the city, the force of water broke down the approach to the Victoria Bridge, while about 300 feet of wall belonging to the Highways and Transport Department was smashed. Two spars which had been lying alongside to be shaped for intercolonial vessels formed a block at the mouth of the basin, and so saved bits of furniture and houses from going farther into the Careenage.
The Government Lavatory, was upset and thrown into the sea, and a space about 200 square feet in the roadway approaching the Victoria Bridge was broken and carried away by water. At the point in River Road where the river joins the inner basin, the water parted its course and floating debris came into the street while bits of others went into the sea. Constitution Road was blocked by houses swept from the nearby district, Ellis Village and along the road itself. One of the spots on the latter side, now vacant, had been occupied by the house of Dolly Fenty, one of the victims. The rails along the Constitution Bridge were uprooted and the Park wall and rails on the Weymouth side completely collapsed. The Ellis Village and Hall’s Road areas had obviously been swamped, several houses having been washed away and broken up in these districts. Sheep, goats, fowls and the like were drowned. Hall’s Road, like Constitution, was blocked by houses and a car was covered by one of these. One of the buildings had been washed from alongside Arthur’s Road. Delamere Land, on which most of the victims had lived and aback of the Gully House district could be seen the spectacle already described.
This was also the case along the Bridge Road area where seven houses were swept away. A resident in this area told the “Advocate” that it was about 11:30 p.m. when he noticed the water entering his house and quickly lifted out his wife and three children to a safe place. He was soon to see the wisdom of his action for within a few minutes a large house just above the bridge was sailing down the gully. It was not long after when another passed close to his house which surprisingly was left intact, and went along in the same direction. Quickly another came tumbling along and struck one in its path. They stood stationary, apparently for a little while and then sped along down the gully. Another resident said that he became aware that the situation was dangerous when he noticed water coming under the door. First thing he saw on looking out were some houses being washed away. He hurriedly got his family out of the danger zone, but his fowls, ducks and other stock were drowned. Persons in the various districts said that they had never seen the water so high. Some indicated that it must have reached a height of 8 feet. The telephone and electric poles at some place were broken down and all around were muck and mire. This, however, did not prevent men, women and children going to the scene of the catastrophe. There was a steady stream throughout the day.
In the country near Foster Hall, the land has rushed into the sea and acres of cane fields and other crops were under water. The rainfall at Foster Hall was 13 inches. At Newcastle, the gauge registered 13 inches before it overflowed. Extensive damages were done to bridges in St. Joseph and St. John. In St. Joseph, the old water pipe mains burst and Sedgepond Bridge was reported down. Edgecumbe had 7 inches, Ridge 9 inches, Mount Pleasant registered 8 inches before the rain gauge overflowed. One planter told the “Advocate” he had never seen so much rain in his life. Another said it was the highest rainfall since 1898.
A boulder fell in the road at District “B” where most of the area was swamped out. At Seawell the wind velocity reached as high as 45 m.p.h. Water coming over from River Road also reached a high level in the Spruce Street – Queen Street area. One resident of Spruce Street told the “Advocate” that he had to climb with his mother, sister and kid brother, one after the other, through the bedroom window and carry them to a neighbor’s house. At that time the water was reaching nearly to his chest.
Telephone communications were broken down in some parts of the island. Some of the areas affected were Bay Street, Hastings, St. Lawrence, from Tudor Street to Eagle Hall, from Eagle Hall to Waterford, from Eagle Hall to St. James. Speightstown was isolated from the city. Repair work on telephone cables were started immediately, but the work was held up somewhat by the heavy showers that began after noon. The cables could not be opened because the rain would have spoilt them completely. On the straight run from the Leeward Parishes to the city were left many evidences of the intense weather. Ponds were flooded and in making their way to the sea washed many people’s lands and crops away.
Some fields remained flooded and at Sandy Lane only the yam spires indicated that a field was there. The road was covered with mud and stones in spots, and to remove their mess, workmen with their shovels were kept busy. Traffic had to move through this with great care. One little car in passing a bus by the Holetown Police Station, slid over the gutter and almost overturned. In parts, the road was dug out.
A round patch was dug out about a foot in depth at Prospect. Natural Gas pipes which were recently laid down were almost exposed as the water dug away the road which covered them. Sandy Lane road was partially locked early in the morning because a tree had fallen across the road Traffic going through Speightstown into the city and vice versa were directed through Sandy Lane yard. The tree was removed later in the day. Here and there guard walls could be seen collapsed on the ground.
The Lazaretto lost about 40 feet of its guard wall and another 15 feet were down at the northern end of Payne’s Bay. Beach residences along the Fitz Village and Payne's Bay areas were being undermined by the encroaching sea. Some removed from their homes for safety.
Residents at Fontabelle area did not fare very badly as scarcely any damage was done. Some of the residents of Kensington New Road were flooded out, and their furniture was damaged and many animals were drowned. The ground at Kensington Oval was flooded, and about one foot of water settled inside the Kensington Stand.
The center of the guard wall at Palm Beach had fallen in and a few small trees in the area were blown down. Pigs, goats, sheep, fowls, ducks, turkeys and other stock were washed for the yards of Chapman Lane residents and many of these were not recovered. People in this district told the “Advocate” that they still think themselves fortunate because they had no casualties.
In Christ Church, a large breadfruit tree in Mrs. Lawrence’s yard, Worthing, was uprooted by high winds. The trunk of the tree fell across the road while the top branches rested on the roof of Mrs. Valney’s house. This caused the electric lights in the gap to be cut off. No one was injured.
The roof of the house belonging to Aletha Taylor near Holy Trinity, St. Philip, was blown off by high winds.
A house belonging to Lyle Mapp of Blackman’s, St. Joseph, was completely destroyed by high wind. The house was insured.
Another house in Easy Hall, St. Joseph, owned by Mary Rollock, was damaged. No one was hurt.
In St. Peter, a house in Odle Alley, and owned by Rosa King, was badly damaged by high winds. It is an old wall house 24 feet long, 12 feet wide and 12 feet high. The wind was so strong that it broke down half of the southern part of the house. The roof was still intact. The wall fell away but none of the occupants of the house were injured. One side of a bedroom upstairs was exposed and the side of the kitchen downstairs was also exposed.
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