PM: Thank God for his mercies

THE Prime Minister said TT must “thank God for his mercies” in the aftermath of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake which happened off the coast of Venezuela.

Speaking with Newsday, Dr Rowley said, “I have been in touch with the national security agencies and we are awaiting damage reports from first responders.

“So far we seem to have escaped the worst and it does not now appear that there is serious or widespread damage. But we are awaiting a more comprehensive assessment.”

The Government stands ready to render assistance where necessary, he said.

The PM, who has a PhD in geology, said he could not recall ever experiencing a stronger quake.

“During the shaking, the tremor strengthened with the s-wave arrival and I momentarily thought whether this was ‘the big one’ that was always in our discussions. Today’s tremor was strong enough to have me thinking that this might be it.”

Observing that the duration was unusually long and waves were strong, Rowley said, “That did cause me to think that its epicentre could not be too far away and I feared for our built-up areas on soft ground such as Port of Spain and Westmoorings.”

He said incoming reports indicate the event was felt across the southern Caribbean. Rowley said he was at the PM’s official residence in St Ann’s when the earthquake happened. “The building shook strongly but performed well – no visible damage observed – but some unsecured items fell off shelves and drawers opened. But no significant damage.”

National Security Minister Stuart Young said there had been no reports of anyone being severely injured or any major infrastructural damage to any part of TT. “There is no need to panic,” he said.

After communication between the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) and the Tsunami Warning Centre in the Pacific Ocean, Young said, “We received good news that the tsunami watch and warning has been called off for TT.” Young said the Coast Guard had been monitoring the Gulf off Paria for any possible signs of a tsunami.

But he cautioned, “We can expect aftershocks.”

He said the heads of all national security agencies were at the National Operations Centre (NOC) in Port of Spain. Police Commissioner Gary Griffith had ordered all police officers to report for duty and they were out there, Young said.

He also said Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan had dispatched the ministry’s teams to assess all major bridges and other infrastructure.

TTEC, Young continued, was working to restore electricity where power outages had happened.

None of the country’s energy infrastructure, hospitals or police stations were damaged by the earthquake, Young said. He promised the public would be updated once further information became available.