Tornado tears off 3 roofs in Chase Village

THREE families in Ragoonanan Road West, Chase Village are now without a roof over their heads after what they are calling a mini tornado passed through the area on Wednesday afternoon.

Councillor for Perseverance/Waterloo Dubraj Persad told Newsday residents showed him pictures of the small tornado and heavy rains, which eventually caused the major damage.

Khadene Crowe, 39, told Newsday she was at work approximately 20 minutes away from home. Her husband and three children were home, participating in online school activities, when the incident occurred after 1 pm.

She lives in a flat, cream-coloured building.

“They just kept hearing this noise and my son was in the middle of an online class. He went to close the windows and he just saw the tornado coming towards them. And that was it – the roof was gone,” she lamented.

She said it was a frightening experience for the children.

“Everything is underwater right now. Everything got wet – and remember they were even using the tablet and the laptop. The fridge, the stove, the microwave, the TV…Every single thing got wet, the ceiling crumbled, glasses were shattered, all the wires are down. The bed, food items…”

She said she could not find the words to explain how she felt, especially having lost her mother just two months ago, who also lived with them.

“I can’t even think, I can’t function,” she said.

Persad told Newsday after the roofs were blown off, the rain continued for approximately 45 minutes.

The TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) visited and removed their electricity meter to prevent anyone from being injured during the clean-up.

Persad said, “T&TEC did their assessments, the disaster management unit of the Couva/Tabaquite Regional Corporation, which I am a part of, will be here shortly to assess the damage. And there are other residents that came out to assist.

“I am hoping that the Ministry of Social Development can assist with getting grants for these families.”

MP for Couva North Ravi Ratiram told Newsday the disaster management unit confirmed it was a tornado.

“I have been linking with the office from the moment I heard about the disaster and they are conducting site visits. I’ve also spoken to a few of the residents and T&TEC.

“We have mattresses and tarpaulin available and on standby and I am in the process of having a letter written to the HDC (Housing Development Corporation) and the Minister of Housing and we will continue to liaise with the relevant people to help return those who were affected back to normalcy."