Everyday people doing ordinary things is customary – but when regular folks go out of their way to perform an extraordinary humanitarian act, it is something that should not go unnoticed.
Amidst the sudden deluge and torrents of water that engulfed the island’s northern region on Sunday, a group of grounds men from the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG) on work duties for the ‘Pink Cup’ dashed out into the open waters that had risen outside the ground to rescue two persons trapped in the raging waters, saving those persons lives in the process and assisting two others in getting clear of the rising waters.
Water overflowing from drains, gutters and rivers flowed into the adjoining ponds carrying along a heap of debris and rising to more than five feet.
A motorist trying to navigate the waters, had to be pushed out of the water by the guys; and in another instance, a man attempting to rescue a horse also had to be pulled to safety
The five-man DSCG ground staff crew had been working with the Veterans in Sports Inc. crew for the weekend charity football event to raise funds for Cancer Awareness with Kick For a Cure, which is a football programme designed to raise cancer awareness in the country. The men, Sheldon Popo, Karim Daniel, Jonathan Doxilly and Ricardo Joseph and another colleague, not present, at the time the men spoke to THE VOICE, gave an account of what transpired.
According to Joseph, he had gone outside the grounds and noticed that a vehicle was trapped in the water and the driver was requesting help. He went back inside and asked for assistance from his comrades who all came out to assist.
“We came back outside, and while were we helping one person (to maneuver the vehicle out of the water) …someone also got caught in the water and we had to go and help that person out also,” Joseph explained.
He recalled that the vehicle, a super carry van, was too light to traverse the waters and was headed straight for a lamp post, when they jumped into the water to help. “We went into the water to save him, and the water was like up to about chest high …and we had to steer the vehicle away from crashing into the lamp post and get it out of the water, said Joseph
The guys said the incident occurred during a heavy downpour at about after 2.00p.m., when they saw the driver on top the vehicle pleading for help.
Joseph added, “We went to assist him, and then everything was alright, although some of his belongings got damaged, but he was happy that his life was saved.”
The individual was headed to the grounds to view the matches, and the vehicle was seen parked inside at the DSCG, fortunate not to have been involved in a more serious mishap.
Doxilly said they felt good about being able to assist someone in distress, and cautioned that it was also important, “To show the younger generation out there to always be willing to stretch out a helping hand when someone needs it.
“Yes man …that’s a good vibe,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the benevolence of a group of youngsters in the Corinth area helped rescue a security officer who got trapped inside a small security hut.
It is reported that the hut was drifting away with the security officer inside it, when the young men tied a rope to the hut and pulled the officer to safety.
There were reports of other rescue acts in the Corinth community, which involved organized rescue teams like the St Lucia Fire Service and police officers who were called out to assist residents in the Assou Canal area , some of whom were stranded in their homes as the flood waters rushed by.