State agencies preparing for storm

REGIONAL CORPORATIONS are distributing sandbags and alerting residents to the tropical storm whose effects are expected to be felt from Tuesday night.

In Diego Martin, Tunapuna and Arima, on Tuesday morning, the executive and councillors were helping distribute sandbags as well as information on the nearest shelters.

Schools were instructed to be closed on Tuesday and businesses shortened working hours to allow employees to be at home before the bad weather hit.

On Monday the Met Office said the tropical wave had been upgraded to potential Tropical Cyclone no 2. This means the system has the potential to intensify to a tropical storm at short notice.

At a media conference on Sunday government officials warned those in low-lying areas specifically to secure their belongings and for farmers to secure their animals and where possible their produce.

The Met Office said there will be periods of heavy to intense showers and or thunderstorms. Winds may be in excess of 70 km/hr and are capable of breaking tree branches, displacing unsecured roofs and toppling over unhealthy trees.

Government officials said people should pay attention to its various channels for updates and the first contact for any support should be the regional corporation.

Apart from sandbags, corporations are also providing water in case the water supply is cut or becomes undrinkable because of the bad weather.

The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has distributed sandbags to some of its communities that were flooded in the past, as part of its preventative measures.