BVI News

Premier on flooding: ‘Some built homes in wrong areas’

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Following recent severe flooding in Road Town that caused extensive damage to public and private infrastructure, Premier Natalio Wheatley has pointed to improper construction in areas prone to water flow as a contributing factor to the problem.

Heavy rainfall had inundated roadways, rendering key thoroughfares impassable and causing significant flooding in residential areas. The Premier noted that some homes have been built in vulnerable areas, such as near dry ghuts, which are natural water channels.

“Some persons, let’s be honest, they built in the wrong areas,” Premier Wheatley stated. “The areas where they are, they’re in the pathway of the water. If you go and build in a ghut or something like that, a dry ghut, you know, sometimes those things have consequences.”

He also attributed Road Town’s persistent flooding issues to its location in a basin surrounded by hills and noted that land reclamation efforts have disrupted natural water flow to the sea. “We reclaimed land. Sometimes we don’t even run the ghuts out to the sea,” he said.

To address these challenges, the Premier stressed the importance of resilience planning and mitigation strategies, referencing a hydrology study completed by the Ministry of Communications and Works as a critical step in tackling the problem.

The frequent flooding has also taken a toll on local businesses. Shaina Smith-Archer, Chairman of the BVI Chamber of Commerce, called for immediate measures, including better maintenance of drains and ghuts, to mitigate the impact. She noted that businesses face significant financial losses due to flooding, with insurance often too costly to provide relief.

Premier Wheatley emphasized the need for proactive planning and smarter construction practices to build a more resilient society, particularly given the territory’s vulnerability to extreme weather and hurricanes.

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19 Comments

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  1. MD says:

    Maybe so. However look at blocked drains. Some have plants growing in them. Some blocked for years.

    Like 24
    Dislike 1
  2. Bull says:

    Town planning approved them under the ministry headed by him

    Like 43
    Dislike 4
    • @Bull says:

      Those places were built long before Natalio was Premier. The weather is only now exposing the results if the developments in the Road Town area.

      Like 11
  3. captain obvious says:

    it’s tcp fault for approving those homes to be built in those areas

    Like 31
    Dislike 1
  4. "Wrong area" says:

    you mean, BVI, when it’s run by you??

    Like 10
    Dislike 2
  5. Reality Check says:

    Just like the high school where the electrical infrastructure was placed below grade? No allowance for drainage?
    Put proper engineers in your departments with people who can say no to relatives and friends. Can also mandate sufficient parking on property.

    Like 23
  6. Poppy Show says:

    Sir no one has the right to build anywhere without Town and Country Planning giving the go ahead. So should they be blamed and made to compensate homeowners in flood prone areas? Areas for which you are required to provide proper drainage?

    Like 15
    Dislike 2
  7. Kingfish says:

    What can you expect when there are no ZONING LAWS in the BVI.

    Like 14
  8. Truth says:

    The Premier is right. Everybody wants to do what they want, re-route guts, ignore Town Planning etc., now deal with it!

    Like 8
    Dislike 2
  9. Under his watch says:

    I see a potential flooding problem in Duff Bottom….Somebody is allowed to fill in the pond at a higher level than the road….No where for the water to go with the insufficient drains that already exist

  10. Idea says:

    Get the freaking infrastructure up to standards. Just the other day a car hit the big boulder left on the side of the road up Elevator Road, then suddenly the rock disappeared after the accident. the roads are like death traps we are trying to avoid on daily basis. May i kindly recommend assigning a police officer to regulate the traffic, in the morning, down Joe’s hill and Bellevue? What a f* mess

    Like 13
  11. Migoman says:

    Premier is right. Especially all of those houses built along purcell ghut. Can’t blame tcp and government as these were build back in the good old days.

  12. No enforcement says:

    of TCP restrictions on building anywhere in the BVI so flooding after any rain will always be a problem. No forseeable resolution with this party prone government.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  13. Roger Burnett says:

    When planning is limited to “Y” feet and “X” inches, it becomes blind to the bigger picture; that being, retaining the unique identity of places.

    Roger Burnett

  14. My goodness says:

    You cannot blame TCP completely, in some cases some people were told not to build but they go ahead and do it any way. What is needed urgently Mr. Primer is tuff laws to govern TCP. I know of a case in Hannah’s Estate where a gentleman full in the ghut and left a narrow section for the water to run saying it is his land; all my years never knew the Ghut was someone land. The government removed it and of course the stubborn gentleman put the dirt back in the ghut. Of course there was a big disaster in Hannah’s estate. TCP did their job but we need strict laws to prevent these types of things from ever happening again. Guess what the remaining dirt is still in the there. Another rain big disaster again.

  15. well sah says:

    this man takes no accountability for any actions of the gov, one point mentioned was land reclamation. an action of the government, roadtown is a residential and commercial area so basically the actions of the gov in a “need” to create more parking and space to hold events are devaluing real estate that existed before the technology to build homes in “the hills”? the gov needs to be sued for damages and to fix this issue.

  16. Thomas says:

    He also attributed Road Town’s persistent flooding issues to its location in a basin surrounded by hills and noted that land reclamation efforts have disrupted natural water flow to the sea. “We reclaimed land. Sometimes we don’t even run the ghuts out to the sea,” he said.

    REALLY? Have you premier, ever lived in Road Town……..at any point?

  17. flooded since new homes built above us says:

    And what about if you never had a flooding problem for years and then someone builds on land above you and now you get serous flooding damage to your home now? Because they disturbed the land and drainage without considering where the water will flow?

  18. Flood says:

    Homes were built on ground levels competing with the high flow of water during storms and heavy rainfalls when all of this water should have been channelled underground instead. This has been happening for years since I was a child going to ASPS. Motorist also did not care and use to splash water on us when we were walking to and from skool. Natalio please address this asap.

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