Flooding brings misery to residents after heavy rain
(CNS): With over seven inches of rain in the last twenty-four hours, many of Grand Cayman’s residents are now suffering from severe flooding and are trapped in their homes. Those living in the swamp area of George Town told News 27 that they feel they have been neglected by government as every time the island experiences heavy rain their lives come to a standstill. With at least another four inches predicted over the next 24 hours, flooding misery is set to continue for many living in low lying areas with poor drainage.
Category: Local News
Just to set the record straight. One of the areas of ‘inward investment’ that has been mooted by the Leader is rolling out mains sewerage / waste water treatment across the Island. It is a hugely expensive proposition but it perhaps the only realistic and sustainable solution for the growing issue of flooding. It would probably also create long term sustainable jobs for Caymanians.
Unfortunately, Caymanians will not tolerate being told they cannot develop their property, hence you even see houses being built on the traditional course of the Savannah Gully, where salt water breaches the south coast and flows through to the North Sound. When these areas (like swamp) flood the residents turn around and berate the Government and expect the rest of society to pay for it.
I think the solution is to start preserving the wetlands (the water run off areas) and say no to people who want to build in them and other(inappropriate) places where they are going to get badly affected by weather events. We can’t afford to keep bailing people out and paying for their carpets and appliances.
"Unfortunately, Caymanians will not tolerate being told they cannot develop their property" because many behave like selfish spoiled children. Look at all the festering pools of water lying on newly clear "development land". Caymanian greed is killing the quality of life on GC.
If development is the cause of the problem surely developers should be placed in the position where they will not get planning approval for their projects unless and until provision for proper drainage systems to carry water away from residential developments is included… at the developers expense.
Many areas such as the swamp in GT, and Cumber Ave and Belford Estates in BT have had these problems for years and years. And every year the politrixians and the NRA just come around and make the right noises, promising solutions and nothing is ever done. It’s about time we saw some action. Priority should be given to these long-affected areas over other projects.
I am trapped in my house right now in Belford estates. I am having to wade through water in my yard and out on the street to catch the bus to get to work each day.
I think I am right in saying that water flooding from one persons land to another due to anything other than natural movement (eg. because your neighbor has paved and raised their land) could give rise to an action in trespass. Perhaps one to speak to a lawyer on, or better still perhaps a lawyer would like to take up pro bono.
Most of us could not afford the cost, let alone the length of taking the matter through the legal process… unless some laywers are prepared to advertise their willingness to take such cases on Prop Bono in the local press so that we know who we can approach for free, or even a nominal fee.
Sorry, my employer discourages assisting the community (but only since he was granted status).
Pathetic. (You the cowardly mudslinging poster – not your employer)
Not without intention to divert for a trespass claim for water discharge. Nuisance would require a directly neighbouring property and unreasonable conduct. The classic claim for escaping water requires an individual to store up a body of water on their land and for it to "escape" – this is not applicable in the current case. In a nutshell there is no civil claim here on the face of it.
The clue is in the word "swamp". There is a reason that it is so cheap to live there. It floods. Why expect us to subsidise your decision to live there? Stop moaning. Accept or move.
we all live where we can afford to – you clueless or oblivious numbskull.
you live in swamp, miss the deadline to file a compliant and I am the clueless or oblivious numbskull?
LOL
Does not compute…
Too much logic…
Arggghhhh…
again – you assume – making an ass out of you really, not me.
try to put yourself in others’ shoes – or is that too much of a stretch for you mentally?
I suspect they would be pretty soggy shoes. :).
I hope things get better for you.
What assumption ?
1) You either owned land at the time of the planning application, and you did not complain re water issues.
2) Or you purchased land after the apporval of planning. Your problem.
3) Or you are a lease holder in which case it does not matter what you think.
Planning is to blame for half the flooding by their lack of care for adjoining home owners when approving new developments. We live in a low land area that borders a large swamp. With no thoughts to the effects of flooding in the area, Planning approved a large development which took in much of the swampland and which involved filling and raising raising the level of the land to 4 feet above sea level and building a concrete block wall around the peremiter. Since then all the home owners in the area are subject toserious flooding when it rains. When contacted about it to see what could be done to relieve the flooding, their answer was basically "we had the chance to object to the development and did not so they can do nothing about it". Planning caused the problem but now wash their hands from the problem.
solution: don’t buy swamp land
Unless you are an alligator with access to capital. . .
i hate to say it but if you didn’t make a complaint when you were given the opportunity to then it really is your fault and planning is in the right. The complaint proceedure is in place for a reason!!
Planning is NOT to blame. I don’t know where you live, but you have provided all of the evidence necessary to pass judgment.
You live in a low lying area that borders a swamp and you have always depended on the water from your land draining into the swamp. It’s unfortunate, but you didn’t make any provisions for the time when that swamp would no longer be available as a drainage site for your land.
From what I know, Planning will not allow anyone to build up their property in a way that it will flood others. That is to say, it they build higher than you then they have to provide drainage wells to prevent their water from flowing over to you.
It seems as if your neighbour’s land (ex swamp) is no longer available for your excess water to flow over to and hence you are flooding. I can sympathise with you, but you cannot blame the problem on Planning or your neighbour’s desire to develop their own land.
I watched this news story tonight on CITN news and became angry at what I saw. This is not something that is only now happening, so why the heck has the problem not been addressed? Instead of impassioned pleas about loving foreigners and allowing them to walk all over us "like the last girl on the block" McKeeva had better address issues like this where Caymanians and long term residents are again having to publicly beg for help, that never comes. This is a crying shame on us as a country.
Amen! He’s so damned busy with his inward investors and the financial industry whispering sweet nothings into his ears the same Caymanians he claims he will be helping are being left further and further behind. McKeeva better try looking at the real picture and stop trying to convince people that welcoming more and more development with opens arms is going to be the solution to our problems….but then again the man cannot think his way out of a wet paperbag! All he’s good at is jumping on every damned idea that gets flung his way by any Tom, Dick or Harry who is able to convince him (and it don’t take much for that!!) that HE is going to benefit in some way, whether financially or politically. I’m damned well fed up with this crap of a government! A deluded bunch of self serving jokers!
Oh stop the complaining. Didn’t the UDP have their victory party right next to the Swamp? Just wait another four years and they will be back to see what they can do to help.
For God’s sake – Can Planningplease start imposing some minimum floor slab heights in some of these areas so we do not have to have even more suffering in future.
But, I do get that this area is called swamp for a reason – and that cannot be blamed on Government.