“I was so scared, I thought I was going to die,” recalls Norma Ferreira, who is nursing serious injuries about her body following a freak storm at Mahdia, Region Eight.
Ferreira, 27, and her five-month-old baby were pinned under heavy debris after her elevated wooden house collapsed during the unusual storm on September 6, 2019.
The woman, who has been living in the mining town all her life, suffered a fractured nose, a broken jaw, and bruises to her entire face.
“I am feeling much better now,” she told the INews during an interview on Tuesday.
Ferreira is currently hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Her baby boy received injuries to his head. The child was discharged and is currently staying with relatives back home.
The woman and her baby were at home during the storm, which destroyed several buildings and uprooted trees. The roof of the Primary School was blown off and power lines sustained damages.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
The powerful winds lasted for approximately fifteen minutes. Ferreira said her house was flattened within the blink of an eye.
While help came right away, the woman said she and her baby were trapped as it took “a while” for persons to remove the debris.
The mother and child were immediately medevac for emergency medical attention.
Ferreira’s reputed husband, Jordon Joseph was not at home at the time of the incident. He was just returning from the interior where he works as a miner, when the cab driver informed him of what occurred.
Jordan said the next day, he took a flight out to Georgetown to visit his wife and he was completely taken aback with the extent of the injuries about her body.
“I felt so sad,” Jordan said. He is thankful that both his wife and baby live to see another day.
For now, he says the family is burdened with a lot of expenses. Not only do they have to worry about rebuilding their home, but Jordan says he has to factor in other costs such as meals and transportation.
He is currently staying on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and would visit his wife every day at the GPHC.
He is unsure of when she will be discharged.
Meanwhile, Miss Indigenous Heritage Queen SherryAnna, who hails from that region, has been visiting the injured woman and offering support.
Anyone desirous of helping the family can contact Jordan on 665-4357.
