Flooding in several areas after overnight rain

HEAVY and persistent overnight and early-morning rain left several parts of the country under floodwaters on Wednesday.

The thunderstorms were precipitated by the passage of a tropical wave over Trinidad and Tobago. By 6 am, social media users were beginning to post photos to show the impact of flooding in their areaes.

The Met Office has since issued a national riverine flood yellow alert from Wednesday morning all the way to Friday.

People and communities have been urged to take all steps to protect their property, as major run-off of rainwater is expected to fill all the major rivers, which could then burst their banks and spill over into communities.

A social media user posted an image of floodwaters inside his home. Information has also reached Newsday of a road collapsing into a ravine near a bridge in Central Trinidad, while several communities remained underwater as of mid-morning.

The Leaders in Service Team, a slate whose members are contesting several positions in the PNM's internal elections, said on Wednesday morning that a campaign meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Northeastern Community Centre, Duranta Gardens in Sangre Grande, was postponed because of major flooding in that area.

Newsday was told Toco/Sangre Grande MP Roger Munroe and his team as well as councillor Martin Terry Rondon are on the ground helping affected residents.

Wednesday's bad weather and flooding came only weeks after a similar weather system –  a tropical wave – led to islandwide flooding and at least one person, a woman, losing her life in floodwaters.