Flash flooding in several parts of Trinidad

Heavy rain just after midday on Thursday left several parts of Trinidad overwhelmed by flash flooding.

The conditions, the Met Office said, were expected to continue into late afternoon/early evening, with gradual improvements.

It warned of gusty winds, heavy showers or thunderstorms which could lead to street and flash flooding.

Jerry David, senior disaster management co-ordinator at the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government,said there was significant street and residential flooding, but people were not acting responsibly.

David said, “There were no injuries but there was residential flooding...it’s clean-up time...some of the same people who were flooded out in Arouca were flooded out again today.”

Upset over the public’s response by the public in flood-prone areas, David said people were just not adhering to the warnings.

“We have been begging the public, if you know your area is flood-prone, come to the regional corporations and get free sandbags with sand.

“Do they listen? No, so they get flooded out again.”

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management also urged for the necessary precautions to be taken.

It said, “To reduce potential property damage elevate appliances/key equipment, apply sandbags to vulnerable points in your home/business and check with DMUs at municipal corporations for sandbags.”

Chairman of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo regional corporation (CTTRC) Henry Awong also encountered problems. He told Newsday the area was hit hard and agencies had difficulties getting the required help to people.

He said, “The DMU was trying its best to get to those affected, but they we are understaffed. We are operating at about 50 per cent capacity, as the other members of staff have been self-quarantined.

“We were trying to get assistance from other DMUs, as the situation here is bad. There were reports of flooding in Guaracara, Gasparillo, Claxton Bay, Couva and Chase Village. Caparo and Todd’s Road were being assessed.”

Other areas affected in Central and South Trinidad included Tarouba Marabella, Reform Village, Gasparillo, Harmony Hall, Chaguanas, Freeport, Chase Village and Lower Barrackpore.

In the northeastern division, areas such as Netoville, Fiddlers Dream, Bellamy Street, and Brazil reported residential and street flooding.

There were also reports of fallen trees in Manzanilla and Arima, a fallen wall along the Eastern Main Road in Arouca, and a landslip in Mt Pleasant Road, which brought down utility lines.

This story was originally published with the title "Flash floods in several parts of Trinidad" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Heavy rain just after midday on Thursday left several parts of Trinidad overwhelmed by flash flooding.

The conditions, the Met Office said, were expected to continue into late afternoon/early evening, with gradual improvements.

It warned of gusty winds, heavy showers or thunderstorms which could lead to street and flash flooding.

Jerry David, senior disaster management co-ordinator at the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, said as the rains eased reports were still coming in about flooding and damage.

He reported that Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo regional corporation’s Disaster Management Unit (DMU) had been told about residential and street flooding in various parts of the Gasparillo district.

Chairman of that corporation Henry Awong told Newsday that the DMU was trying its best to get to those affected, but was heavily understaffed.

He said, “We are operating at about 50 per cent capacity, as the other members of staff have been self-quarantined. We were trying to get assistance from other DMUs, as the situation here is bad.

"There were reports of flooding in Guaracara, Gasparillo, Claxton Bay, Couva and Chase Village. Caparo and Todd’s Road were being assessed.”

Other areas affected in Central and South Trinidad included Tarouba, Marabella, Reform Village, Gasparillo, Harmony Hall, Chaguanas, and Lower Barrackpore.

In Arima, areas such as Netoville, Fiddlers Dream, Bellamy Street, and Brazil reported residential and street flooding.

There were also reports of flooding in Manzanilla.