SCORES of Toco weekend visitors remained trapped in what seemed to be the vacation that would not end as up to last night, after a bailey bridge, although in place, had not yet been fully erected to allow vehicles through.

In what seemed to be a test-run for a hurricane fallout, approximately 200 of these visitors were being accommodated in schools and guest houses in and around the area while others were in residents’ homes.

About 45 people chose to remain in their cars, vans and SUVs. They were being taken care of, despite some level of comfort, as best as could be offered at the time, but they all simply wanted to get back to their respective homes.

In the meantime, the residents of Toco and environs yesterday stepped up to the responsibility of taking care of these people, who, under normal circumstances, would have all left by Sunday.

These weekend visitors were described by one Toco resident as ’quite important to Toco’s budding tourism sector’, who added ’we have to take care of them ... they are important to us’.

The area of the Balandra Bridge (Toco side) remained lined with cars yesterday, their owners and families anxiously waiting to cross over and drive home.

The promised bailey bridge was in place when the Express left there but its road surface had not yet been laid down.

Yesterday, however, the question of what would happen if people fell sick and needed attention was finally answered with at least two medical emergencies being dealt with. In both cases, the patients were unable to walk and were confined to stretchers.

To take them to care, an ambulance arrived, planks of wood were paced across the Bailey bridge and with the help of some of the workmen, the sick were gently wheeled across. The ambulance then took them to hospital.

The Express also visited some of the shelters yesterday. To get to the other side, one had to trek along a stretch of beach, which during low tide proved passable (by foot), to finally emerge on the other side of the river.

With the assistance of the area’s councillor, Terry Rondon, media representatives were given a tour of the shelters. He was accompanied by some personnel from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), Social Development Ministry and other government bodies, who handed out food, water and assurances to those affected.

The four shelters the Express visited seemed okay enough, but an exasperated sounding Rondon said some ’people were overdoing it with the complaints’.

’One man say he fed up eat chicken, he want beef; another man say if he eat more sardines he go vomit and ah next man make meh buy cigarettes for him ... imagine that ... cigarettes!’

Among the shelters were the Rampanalgas RC school, Cumana SDA, Toco Composite School and the Jammev Nature Resort-which all had mattresses, food and water.

For those who went for the weekend with a supply of extra clothes and food, things were not too bad. In fact, some did not even need the shelters, as their small tents, portable stoves, water and food was enough to allow them to fend for themselves if they chose to.

Among those to choose the outdoors were Tirbani Neacram and his family.

’We came up Thursday night and planned to leave Sunday. We hoped the bridge would be open today (Monday),’ he said.

He said his children were restless and lamented that he could not call anyone on his job to tell them his situation, but said ’it’s a nice experience, camping for another day’, adding that passersby were dropping off food and water for them.

Another group of four men were nearby. They too seemed okay with the situation, one exclaiming loudly ...’Hang Jack!’ as a card game turned emotional.

The other weekend visitors who were not so well prepared took to the shelters. There they were provided with a place to sleep, a hot meal and even the opportunity to do some laundry.

One group met by the Express at the Cumana SDA seemed okay enough and at the time, a delicious smelling hot meal of dumplings and saltfish with bits of tomatoes and onions was being handed out to them.

At the Jammev Beach Resort, the Gordon family of Malick, Barataria, had their weekend getaway.

One of the Gordons explained that the entire family was ’here in Toco’ and there was no-one to meet them on the other side.

Janet Coward, another relative, explained their situation, stating, ’We are not in distress. We had some extra clothes and so on and the proprietor of the place knew the situation so we are not being thrown out.’

But not all stories were happy. There were those who went to spend one day and were ill-prepared for an extended visit.

Selwyn Marshall said the first day of the bridge collapse (Saturday) was really bad, ’but by Sunday things started to happen’.

They have food and shelter but no clean clothes and ’it is very uncomfortable’ he said, ’but we are trying to make the best of a bad situation’.