TEMA: Landslide debris hinders clean-up efforts

TOBAGO Emergency Management Agency director Allan Stewart says landslide residue is hampering clean-up operations in parts of the island.

On Tuesday, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Reserves joined the Community Emergency Response Team and other relief workers as clean-up exercises continued apace in the Golden Lane Les Coteaux area.

Last Wednesday’s tropical wave, Invest 91L and heavy rainfall over the weekend triggered landslides and flooding in various parts of Tobago.

Stewart said many domestic properties were affected by the landslides.

“The teams are out there trying to clean up some of these domestic properties, which have bad residue of landslides,” he told Newsday.

“It is a battle between the weather, getting it dried off so that you can push a shovel through it and you could use a fork to move it or backhoe to move it.

“Those are the kinds of challenges you have.” Despite this setback, Stewart said the clean-up continues.

‘We are there doing damage assessments as we have the new reports and also dealing with the clean up at the same time on residential properties.’ Up to news time on Tuesday, TEMA received 14 additional reports bringing its total number thus far to 407. The agency said to date it has responded to 143 landslides, 56 flooded areas, 56 properties affected by flooding, 40 fallen trees, 31 road blockages, nine flood threats, five damaged roofs, ten fallen utility lines and three requests for accommodation.