Destroyed in 15 minutes, that was the amount of time it took for heavy rains to wipe out a family’s home in Lotus Park on Monday night.
Fortunately, there were no injuries but the Blair family from Mimosa Place lost the roof over their heads and all their personal belongings, escaping with only the clothes on their back. Speaking to the Southern Star, 53-year-old Mervyn Blair said he is grateful that his family and himself survived the terrifying ordeal.
“It was a divine power that was present and saved my daughter’s life as the rains lashed and the wall caved in while my daughter was in the room. We couldn’t believe the nightmare that was unfolding at that moment. My wife, two daughters and I were at home as the storm roared. It lasted about 15 minutes but in that time, we lost everything and only escaped with our lives and the clothes we were wearing. The bank collapsed and pushed the wall which caved in. My daughter, 12, was in the room at the time and it was only God who saved her when she was shielded by the cupboards. Otherwise, she would have been buried in the rubble,” said Blair.
The family watched in horror as the mud and heavy downpour covered all of their belongings. Two other homes were affected in that vicinity but Blair’s premises was the worst hit. “We are thankful to our family and the community for rushing to our aid. Sadly, our sentimental items, valuables and belongings are destroyed and damaged. We are trying to salvage what we can. We are currently living with family until we find our footing. We are deeply grateful to all who rallied to our side and offered clothes, bedding and food in our dire straits. We now begin the difficult task of rebuilding our lives from scratch and we thank every individual for assistance extended to us,” Blair added.
Community activist, Mark ‘MVG’ Gounder, said: “It’s sad to note that infrastructure in the ward has been reduced to such a low. After the devastation and destruction on Monday night during the freak storm, I visited the families of those houses that were affected. The Blair family was left gutted with no salvage of any of their life’s hard-earned belongings. The rallying around by the community to assist these families is certainly commendable. My disappointment is that no work has commenced to clear the site and reinforce that area. We need the powers that be to act swiftly and ensure that this disaster does not occur again.”
Any person or organisation interested in assisting the Blairs in their crisis, can contact Mervyn Blair on 083-562-2147.
