Tobago hit by further landslides, damage to roads

PERSISTENT rain over the weekend has plagued Tobago's clean-up efforts, with further landslides and crumbling roads adding to the damage caused by last Wednesday's tropical wave. However, Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) director Allan Stewart said the mandate to achieve full normalcy on the island by Monday will be achieved.

All schools in Tobago were dismissed early last Wednesday and had been closed on Thursday and Friday. Some THA divisions were also closed owing to the flooding and damage caused by the tropical wave.

On Sunday, TEMA received reports of part of Idlewild road breaking away. It said, "The roadway is unstable at this time. The relevant authorities have already been notified and mobilised. Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes if possible or proceed with caution in and around the area."

There were also landslides on Sunday at Providence Road, Les Coteaux and Belmont Road, Speyside.

On Saturday, TEMA had just finished clearing debris after a landslide at Bad Rock, Windward Road, Belle Garden, when another land slippage 200m away forced the temporary closure of the road. A T&TEC line was also damaged. After an assessment by a geotechnical team, the road was closed until Tuesday, except to limited traffic, including PTSC buses, trucks and emergency vehicles, as more landslides are anticipated.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said, “The protection of life is paramount at this time, for us in the THA. We are fully aware of the topography of our island and the potential dangers that exist, following the kind of weather we recently experienced.”

Asked whether the damage reports over the weekend had affected Monday's deadline, Stewart said, "Not necessarily...Things are well on track to getting back to normalcy tomorrow. School was suspended so we're working on the roads, making sure things are happening."

Stewart said TEMA remained focused on its task despite further damage occurring.

"It's just part of it. It's like bathing everyday. I remember some schoolboys saying why bathe when you're gonna get dirty again.

"It's about road safety, you have to clear it up and go again. It's not frustrating, it is what it is – doing what is necessary for safety and security of people."

Stewart said the clean-up operation has been a collaboration among many agencies.

"The manpower has been brilliant. We had the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) programme. In this operation room right now, 50 per cent of the staff right now are volunteers. You have members of the TT Regiment, the Defence Force Reserves, you have the TT Coast Guard, you have the Cadets today.

"A lot has been thrown in to achieve the mandate that was set to us. We tackle 25 reports a day, we wanna ensure by tomorrow there should be no private road or access road to somebody's dwelling blocked, unless for some reason or other there is breakaway or something like that. If it's just deposit of debris, over the weekend we'll get it done."

TEMA said relief supplies from the Office of the Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) was expected to arrive on Sunday via the Cabo Star. Among the supplies are trash pumps, ropes, cleaning buckets, coolers, raincoats and batteries.

Secretary of Infrastructure Trevor James told Newsday his division has been working day and night "to ensure we're back to work on Monday, where hopefully we have better weather." He thanked workers for their commitment and promised to provide them with the necessary tools to continue doing a good job.

On Friday, Augustine expressed grave concern over the inability of the island's public infrastructure to withstand the effects of a tropical wave. He said Invest 91L was characterised by mostly heavy rainfall and not the high-intensity winds of a storm or hurricane, but was still able to do significant damage.

Asked about Augustine's concerns, James said, "I continue to say – we've been starved by budgetary allocation in Trinidad. It's been a perennial problem – 4.3 (per cent) cannot take care of the needs of Tobago.

"Tobago contributes more than that to the national coffers. It's time for us to get our fair share. You can't compare $300 million to Tobago (for development) and billions to Ministry of Works."

James said that Tobago's topography of "hills and valleys" makes infrastructure and its maintenance extremely important.

"We have to come up with different plans to source financing elsewhere, to bring relief, improve infrastructure on the island."