[UPDATED] Roofs torn off, trees topple in bad weather spell

The disaster management units (DMU) in all 14 regional corporations were deployed on Saturday afternoon following the passage of a tropical wave which caused infrastructural damage mostly in north Trinidad.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kazim Hosein said the DMUs were working with the national response teams such as fire service, police, the Ministry of Works and Transport Highways Division, T&TEC and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), as well as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers and the Met Office.

The Met Office issued an adverse weather alert – yellow level – for Saturday between 7.15 am to 2 pm. The heavy rains and gusty winds left behind damaged homes, blown-off roofs, fallen trees and powerlines in several areas across the country. The hardest hit was the East/West corridor.

However, by midday it discontinued the adverse weather alert which was downgraded from the yellow level to the green level.

The Met Office said most of the impactful weather has dissipated, but there may be persistent light showers accompanied by gusty winds.

For the rest of Saturday, the Met Office forecast mostly cloudy conditions with intermittent periods of showers/rain in varying localities that may become heavy and thundery in a few areas.

It said improvements were expected by late Saturday afternoon and the night-time would be mostly settled with a few lingering showers.

In its report, the ODPM said by midday on Saturday there were at least 27 incidents reported throughout the municipal regions.

It noted that from Glencoe to Sangre Grande, there were reports of 11 fallen trees, eight blown off roofs, two partially blown off roofs, one damaged roof.

The La Horquette Branch Road which was blocked by a fallen tree was quickly cleared by CERT volunteers who also cleared debris from homes in Mausica Lands, D'Abadie.

A fallen tree along the Queen’s Park Savannah, near Queen's Royal College and another which crashed on a car parked on Independence Square South, off the Brian Lara Promenade, were also been cleared.

Hosein said: “We have received several reports from citizens requiring assistance as a result of blown roofs. Our DMU teams are on site lending assistance, conducting assessments and providing relief items. I encourage members of the public to contact their respective disaster corporate communications unit,” he said.

San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation chairman Anthony Roberts reported that some 15 to 20 families were affected by the bad weather.

He said he and his team are out assessing and assisting in rectifying some of the damage. Roberts said affected areas included Las Alturas, Morvant, Bagatelle Road, San Juan and "various parts of Morvant and Laventille."

In Belmont residents came together to help Glenda Cuffie and her family after their roof was blown off by heavy winds.

Cuffie, who lives at Layann Hill, off Belmont Circular Road, with her husband and two sons, had just finished saying her prayers when the roof was removed and landed on the road next to the house. When Sunday Newsday visited Cuffie around 9.30 am residents were attempting to put a tarpaulin to protect the house from further damage. Houses in the area also lost electricity.

Alderman Wade Coker and an employee of the Port of Spain Disaster Management Unit was on the scene. Several appliances in the house were destroyed including the TV, radio and refrigerator. Mattresses and groceries were also soaked.

Cuffie said, "Everything I loss...right now I just stand up here, but I am in shock. Who would have thought this morning I would have end up with my roof off my head.

"I was up. I now finish saying my prayers, I bless my day and then after that was it." Cuffie told one of her sons don't panic when the wind started to get strong and immediately after that the roof was gone.

Cuffie was also affected by the covid19 virus as she has been unemployed for the past few months. "I need all the help I could get right now. I not working nowhere since the coronavirus, I got sent home. I have nothing, I lost everything."

Coker said, "We already decided to assist her with a couple mattresses and the tarpaulin. She already did up the letter for self help (at the Ministry of Social Services) which she will take in on Monday."

Coker said he planned to visit other areas in Belmont.

The adverse weather saw trees uprooted in the municipality and in other areas as well. Roberts said like in other areas some of his burgesses had their roofs blown off by the gusty winds.

The ODPM said while there were no reports of injuries or flooding, it was important that people were prepared for the wet/hurricane season because adverse conditions can happen at any time.

It said by staying informed, making an emergency plan, building an emergency kit and getting involved in the community are some ways to prevent major losses and injuries.

It advised that hazards in communities should be identified, contact information for first responders should be known and updates about weather conditions should be closely monitored.

Emergency plans should also be made with family members and it should also include physical distancing and covid19 guidelines in the event of a disaster.

The ODPM further added that emergency kits should be readily available with supplies, including face masks, to last up to 72 hours or three days.

This story was originally published with the title "Met Office downgrades yellow alert after heavy rain" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The Met Office has discontinued its adverse weather alert which has been downgraded from the yellow level to the green level.

It said most of the impactful weather has dissipated, but there may be persistent light showers accompanied by gusty winds.

For the rest of Saturday, the Met Office has forecast mostly cloudy with intermittent periods of showers/rain in varying localities that may become heavy and thundery in a few areas.

It said improvements were expected by late Saturday afternoon and the nighttime would be mostly settled with a few lingering showers.

But bad weather on Saturday morning damaged homes, blew off roofs and down trees in several areas across the country. The hardest hit was the East/West corridor.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) said by midday there were 27 incidents reported throughout the regions.

It noted that from Glencoe to Sangre Grande, there were reports of 11 fallen trees, eight blown off roofs, two partially blown off roofs, one damaged roof and one blocked roadway at the La Horquette Branch Road which has since been cleared.

A fallen tree along the Queen’s Park Savannah, in the vicinity of Queen's Royal College has also been cleared.

In the South/Central region there was one report of a partially blown off roof in Calcutta #2 and one report of a roof completely blown off in Las Lomas #2.

No injuries or flooding were reported.

The ODPM said it was important that people be prepared for the wet/hurricane season because adverse conditions can happen at any time.

It said by staying informed, making an emergency plan, building an emergency kit and getting involved in the community are some ways to prevent major losses and injuries.

It advised that hazards in communities should be identified, contact information for first responders should be known and updates about weather conditions should be closely monitored.

Emergency plans should also be made with family members and it should also include physical distancing and covid19 guidelines in the event of a disaster.

The ODPM further added that emergency kits should be readily available with supplies, including face masks, to last up to 72 hours or three days.