WHEN it rains, many people have to deal with flash flooding.

However, residents of Lopinot face the threat of being cut off from the rest of the country.

The 7.5 mile-long Lopinot Road starts at the Arouca Junction. It is winding and narrow.

On August 21, Newsday spoke to taxi driver Shashi Maharaj, 48, who has been plying the Lopinot Road for 30 years.

He said the condition of the road has extended a one-way trip from the Eastern Main Road to La Pastora from 20 to 40 minutes.

Maharaj said last week said he had to spend $3,000 to repair the suspension of his car. He replaced the cradle bushings and shock absorbers.

The route is only served by "PH" drivers, as the Public Transport Service Corporation discontinued its Lopinot service years ago.

"Taxi drivers," Maharaj said, "try their best to facilitate their passengers, like schoolchildren and people who work outside the community."

When the weather is bad and it is raining heavily, he said, taxis can be stuck at the Surrey ravine for up to five hours, as the road becomes impassable. Sometimes their only option is to shuttle the passengers from different vehicles and the passengers walk through the raging water.

One resident told Newsday when rain falls, water in the taps goes as well.

"At Surrey ravine, when water crosses over, it mashes up the pipes and we have to wait for WASA to come and clear it and fix it."

[caption id="attachment_1104877" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Multiple potholes at the Surrey Ravine on Lopinot Road, Lopinot on August 15. - Photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption]

Newsday spoke to Surrey Village Council president Marsha Ramoutar and vice president Tobias Julien on August 21.

They said residents need a place to gather for community events. The village council has to meet at members' homes.

Ramoutar told Newsday, "I would like to see a play park in our community, development programmes for the youths like trade programmes, etc, programmes for the elderly to keep them interactive both socially and technologically. And sports for the youths."

Nicolene Taylor-Chinchamee, a lifelong Lopinot resident, is the newly-sworn-in NTA custodian for Lopinot/Bon Air West and the shadow councillor. Taylor-Chinchamee also volunteers with the Hunters Search and Rescue team.

On August 12, she shared a video of the flooded Surrey ravine with Newsday.

Newsday visited  on August 15. The Surrey ravine at lightpole 123 was full of potholes and it looked as if the road could crumble away. At the sharp corners, railings were dilapidated or nonexistent.

Bamboo growing at the forest's edge has blocked waterways and in some spots obstructs traffic. T&TEC crews, residents told Newsday, had been called in earlier that week to clear the bamboo that had fallen on overhead electricity wires.

Taylor-Chinchamee also said if the area is cut off during a natural disaster, residents would not be able to get to a shelter. The closest are in Lopinot and Arouca.

"There should be no political discrimination when facing a natural disaster," sh