Orange alert: Monitor Ortoire, Oropouche rivers

THE Met Office has extended the riverine flood warning until midday Saturday.

It warned people to monitor, in particular, the Oropouche and Ortoire Rivers.

The office issued a riverine flood warning – orange-level alert – specifically for three rivers, but says the Caroni River, which has a tendency to break its banks during heavy rainfall, is not currently at risk of flooding.

The Naparima/Mayaro Road, which was flooded at around 11 am yesterday, was not included in Friday's flood warning.

Jean-Marc Rampersad, a meteorologist at the Met Office, told Newsday: "The updates for the flood warnings are being done based on official information from the ODPM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management) and the disaster management unit.

"Currently the last set of information we got, based on the Ortoire River and the Oropouche River and its environs and for the Oropouche River, we are seeing some improvements, although there are parts that are impassable."

Mafeking, which is on the Ortoire River and occasionally experiences heavy flooding, has been identified as one of the most vulnerable areas.

"Regarding the Ortoire River, some areas are impassable and based on those reports, they are included in the orange-level alert," said Rampersad.

The Met Office did not expect significant activity within the next 24-48 hours or by Sunday afternoon.

"Into this weekend (after Saturday, midday) we can expect a few more showers over the next couple days."

He said water on the Caroni River and Naparima/Mayaro Road, which were flooded Friday morning, began to recede throughout the day and they were withdrawn from the riverine flood warning.

Rampersad said the Met Office receives real-time information on water levels at the Caroni River from the Water Resources Agency (WRA), a division of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), but only receives information on other flood-prone rivers, such as the Ortoire and Oropouche, from ground reports.

He advised people not to venture into floodwaters and said those who do not live within the identified areas should avoid them unless necessary.