Karen halts Sunday activities

TROPICAL Storm not only dumped rain on the country but also put paid to several major activities which were cancelled or postponed as TT hunkered down for the storm.

Yesterday morning, a last minute notice was sent out by the Catholic Centre stating the closing mass of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) Pontifical Mission Congress was shifted from 3 pm to 9 am at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. The mass was streamed 'live' on Facebook and aired on the TCN channel for those who could not attend.

Then came a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) notice on the cancellation of 20 domestic flights between TT due to Karen. Cancelled yesterday were BW1504, BW1506, BW1508, BW1510, BW1512, BW1514, BW1516, BW1520, BW1702 and BW1704 Trinidad to Tobago, and BW1505, BW1507, BW1509, BW1511, BW1513, BW1515, BW1517, BW1521, BW1703 and BW1705 Tobago to Trinidad.

Passengers were advised to contact CAL reservation offices to rebook their flights, and seek further information via phone, CAL Notifications and the CAL mobile app.

The PNM’s Tobago Annual Convention, set for yesterday, was also postponed to a date to be announced. Instead, Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles urged members, delegates and supporters who had gathered in Tobago for the event, to lend support and prayers to their respective families, neighbours and communities.

The highly advertised Unite + Rebuild fund-raising event, to assist those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, especially the people in the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama was postponed to tomorrow (Republic Day) at the 02 Park in Chaguaramas.

A number of top local artistes have offered to perform at the One Caribbean presentation, under the patronage of the Bahamas Red Cross.

Among them, Kes The Band, Farmer Nappy (Darryl Henry), Nadia Batson, Destra, Patrice Roberts, Nailah Blackman, Voice, Shal Marshall, Ultimate Rejects, 3 Canal, Isasha, Orange Sky and from Bahamas, Avvy, Judah Da Lion, Julien Believe, Visage and Wendi & Dyson.

Gates open at noon, with show time at 1 pm. The National Carnival Commission too, also had to reschedule today’s launch of 2020 Carnival that was carded to start at 6 pm at Carnival City, Queen’s Park Savannah. The event is tentatively set for September 28.