More rain this weekend – Met Office

TT can expect more rains this weekend, coming on the heels of floods in several parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday caused by the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and an upper-level trough. The ITCZ is currently over TT and willremain during August and September, says head meteorologist Shakeer Baig.

He said while the next couple of days should remain mostly sunny and dry, the odd shower over the Gulf of Paria was expected.

“There is another tropical wave about two or three days away and we are monitoring it very closely. What spurs on the activity is when there is a system that is coming through, so this tropical wave that is expected by Saturday, the ITCZ would be active and it would be a combination of the tropical wave and the ITCZ.”

He said what makes it worse is favourable conditions in the upper atmosphere which acts as a catalyst for two systems that are now merging.

“So if we have the tropical wave, and we have the ITCZ over us and we have favourable winds in the upper level, all of these come together and amalgamate, and the result is heavy showers and flooding.”

Over the past couple of days several areas were flooded and some residents had to evacuate their homes. Baig said the Navet and Guayaguayare rivers registered over 100 mm. The Caparo River and the East Dry River both broke their banks, leaving drivers and pedestrians stranded for hours until the water receded.

Head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) Neville Wint said flooding was reported in San Juan/Barataria, Chaguanas, Couva/Talparo/Tabaquite and Diego Martin.

“The Caparo River is recediing, but very slowly. It all depends on the Caroni Basin, because that too elevated during the rains,” he said.

Port of Spain mayor Joel Martinez said from reports he received, when the floods started, it was during low tide, which showed the rainfall was severe.

“It appears the capacity was too much for the infrastructure. I know the corporation has been maintaining the drains, so the debris came down from the Maraval and St Ann’s hills. The runoff is too much for the infrastructure.

“We are trying to get Belmont residents back home. The rain wasn’t as bad on Tuesday as it was on Monday – thank God for that. About three families were affected severely and had to move out of their homes.

“Public health has been out spraying and sanitising everything, but clean-up is up and coming,” he said.

Surprisingly, the Toco/Manzanilla area did not experience any major flooding according to Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman Martin Terry Rondon.

Sangre Grande, infamously known as the “bathroom” of Trinidad, withstood the heavy rains with no reported flooding.