Sinanan: We were ready for Gonzalo

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said on Saturday TT was ready to deal with any situation which arose from the passage of Tropical Storm Gonzalo, which later weakened to a tropical depression.

Sinanan told Sunday Newsday that all agencies, including his ministry, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management and the disaster management units at all 14 local government corporations in Trinidad were all fully prepared for any eventuality.

"We have in place at the ministry an emergency plan for disaster that would have kicked in since yesterday. All the different divisions would have been on alert."

Sinanan also said these personnel are helped by " contractors working in several parts of the island

He said there were reports of some fallen trees, but "most of them have already been cleared up."

First responders and the ministry's teams were in the field, assessing the situation.

"Thank God there were no major disasters. We stood up to the test."

On Tobago, which was expected to be more badly affected, Sinanan said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) was very proactive over the last two days in getting the island ready for the storm. He was confident the THA was "quite prepared to deal with any disaster that may come their way." He added the ministry would help the THA if they needed it.

Sinanan also said the Prime Minister was regular contact with him about preparations for the storm and subsequent cleanup operations.

"The Prime Minister is always in touch with his Cabinet. The PM is always up to date on everything that is happening."