‘It makes no sense to call 911’ – Canada-based Guyanese

How much sense does it make to call 911 to get a prompt response to a real emergency?
“Totally none,” is the answer given by Mrs Tara Mattai, an overseas-based Guyanese who was part of a family outing that ended in tragedy in the Abary Backlands on Wednesday.

Sharda Singh, 38, of  Blairmont No2 Settlement

Faced with the horror and trauma of watching loved ones drown, she called 911.
“I was frantic. I called once; the phone rang out. I hung up and called again, the phone rang out. I went through this process of calling and hanging up and calling again about 25 times before a female answered the telephone.”
She continued: “I explained that I was at a location where people had drowned and others needing medical help. The female assured me that the Police at Mahaicony would be immediately dispatched with a boat to render assistance.”

“I told her that I needed to get a call from her to hear that help was on its way. This was around 11:45am. Up to 5PM, No return call came, no help came.”
Meanwhile, other members of the outing made calls to family members, many of whom soon arrived on the scene to render assistance but they could not offer what was needed: “ medical assistance”.
The woman said that around 3PM and after about 100 additional calls to 911, a policeman and a policewoman arrived at the scene with notebooks.
“Their intention was to take information. They could not help otherwise.” she said.
At 5pm, some six hours after the tragic accident, another team of Police personnel arrived, again, merely to gather information.

The Canada-based Guyanese said, “What we needed desperately was medical assistance. I explained this to the woman who answered the 911 call.”
“We received no help whatsoever from dialing 911. The help we received was from relatives, friends and well wishers who traveled to the area in response to our emergency calls.”
She and many of the relatives who were at the scene of the tragedy, said that at least one of the three persons who died, would have survived if medical attention had been forthcoming in the immediate aftermath of the accident.

She said that Sharda Singh, 38, of Number Two Village Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, was taken out of the Creek and given mouth to mouth respiration and had recovered somewhat but then went into a panic and screamed continuously for a very long time before she died.
“We were in a horrific situation and as far as official help was concerned, despite all the calls we made, we got none whatsoever.”
The visibly upset woman, said that she intends to raise the failure of an effective official response to the Abary Creek tragedy “at the highest levels of authority” if necessary before she returns home.