A close-knit community of approximately 100 people who live and farm off Rincon Road, Las Cuevas is cut off from the rest of the country whenever it rains heavily.
Picturesque with lush green trees, wild coffee, clear waters, friendly dogs and welcoming people, the residents of Texas Trace say they become stranded at their homes or outside after torrential rain which sometimes floods the river to over ten feet.
They say they are marooned for anywhere between three-four hours, but it could be longer. This was their experience on Friday after thundershowers swamped most of the country. Their plight has been left unfixed by politicians for more than two decades.
Texas Trace runs off the Rincon Road in Las Cuevas, about two miles before the iconic Las Cuevas Bay. It is the primary route to access Trinidad’s third highest waterfall, Habio Falls.
A challenging hike, but it attracts tourists from all over the world and they too are left abandoned whenever the river floods.
To access Rincon Road, residents must cross the confluence of four rivers – Rincon, Texas, Petit Texas and Blue Basin rivers – by foot or by four-wheel-drive vehicles when the rivers are low with a depth of 14 inches. During the rainy season, travel is restricted.
To get across on foot or by vehicle, villagers stacked over 60 sand bags at the major crossing. to get to the other side.
The flowing river, however, constantly erodes the sandbags which are in need of frequent repair.
[caption id="attachment_965238" align="alignnone" width="683"] Nelson Noreiga-Gooding, one of the outspoken villagers, at Texas Trace, Rincon Road, Las Cuevas makes out the case for his community. Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
For the 25 families who make the trek along the unpaved road to the main road, all they want is a bridge to get home safely and to take their produce to the market.
Over the years, the local government councillor for the district Sudhir Sagramsingh said he has provided as much help as he can.
Sagramsingh said that communities such as Texas Trace is quite small and there are many like communities in the Maracas Bay/ Santa Cruz/ La Fillette district which he serves that face similar infrastructural inadequacies.
[caption id="attachment_965237" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Suziki jeep, driven by Shazam Ali, which villagers depend on to get them across the river during emergencies. Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]
In San Juan/ Laventille Regional Corporation there are 170,000 people and resources are stretched and it cannot accommodate everyone that have the experience of the Texas Trace community, he said.
"There are no fixed projects for a bridge in the works," said Sagramsingh. He said since road and the river intertwines at many points, he has made efforts to ensure that the waterway is frequently cleared and material, such as sand bags, are provided to help the residents get across the river.
Sagramsingh advised the residents to apply f
