Buchanan – Residents in Buchanan are blaming the iron giant, ArcelorMittal for making them homeless as their homes have become flooded.
Report by Bettie K. Johnson-Mbayo, [email protected]
ArcelorMittal’s properties are within a concrete fence which is being blamed for causing the flooding that has left women and children internally displaced in the seaport city of Buchanan.
Madam Frances Potter, a longtime resident of Dirt Hole, one of six communities affected, expressed regrets about the company’s continuous refusal to address the concern in spite of several communications sent to them.
She disclosed that she has been living in the community since 1980 and the community never got flooded like of late since Mittal Steel, as the company is also called by the locals, built their fence in the waterways.
She stated that the previous company, LAMCO, which operated in the same compound that ArcelorMittal now occupies, created drainages to curtail flooding.
Frances also accused Forest Venture, a logging company, operating nearby the community for the flooding, too. According to her, the logging company has filled the drainages with filths and rocks, preventing the water from flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.
“LAMCO, which was here in 1980s, built drainages for the water to go. ArcelorMittal built their fence in part of the waterway. Also, when the logging company goes to grade the road for their trucks to pass, they push dirt into the drainages that were created by LAMCO,” she stated.
According to her, back the 1980s, the drainages were very deep and kids were always warned to keep away from them but now they are so shadowed because of the debris that has been pushed into them.
“Water never used to fill our homes; but now it is filling our homes and we have to move out,” she said sadly.
Residents of the affected communities recently staged a peaceful demonstration but nothing concrete came from their action.
“We are dying the government in this county is frustrating they have not come to see what is happening in this area. When the citizens are going through crises, our government should be concerned. We decided as a community to go to the drainages and move the rocks and sands since no one cares about us.”
A communication in the possession of this newspaper, dated June 16, 2014, to the county’s former Development Superintendent Addonie Greeves, residents complained the company that their two main drainages have been clogged as a result of actions from both companies.
The residents told Mr. Greaves in their communications that the clogged drainages lie exactly between the portions of the road from the gate by the batch office to Moore town. For this reason, we have a problem of water flooding in our houses and its surrounding.”
In her angry tone, with her pair of shoes in her hands, Frances said, “They promised that they will resolve this problem but water is still swallowing us; we are even displaced now.”
Community zone leader Jerry Chea told journalists over the weekend that the situation has become more pathetic since Mittal Steel constructed their fence.
“We have been meeting with the local authorities but nothing has been done. Every time it rains, there is a problem,” Chea stated.
He said his house is currently hosting over 16 affected persons whose homes are now flooded.
Reporters trying to contact ArcelorMittal’s communications person but they were prevented by security guards manning the entrance.