Heavy, incessant overnight showers lead to: Street flooding in south Trinidad

HEAVY overnight downpours led to street and flash flooding in several areas in south Trinidad on Sunday.

There were reports of flooding in parts of the Penal/Debe areas, Barrackpore, Fyzabad, Gasparillo and many other low-lying areas.

Chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) Dr Allen Sammy told Newsday if heavy rains continued into the evening and night, the effects of flooding could worsen and reach inside people’s homes by Monday.

Many areas in the region including parts of the SS Erin Road, Penal Rock Road, Katwaroo Trace, Laltoo Trace, Clarke Road, and Mohess Road, had been flooded.

“This is roadside flooding and flooding into people’s yards. It is not necessarily in houses. If people’s homes were flooded, I have not gotten those reports.

"If the rain continues, then we will be in deep trouble. If the rain stops, we will have an ease up,” Sammy told Newsday on Sunday afternoon. He said corporation workers have done all they could to minimise the effects of flooding.

“In May, for 26 days, for instance, we moved out 600 loads of solid waste from drains and small water courses. Our backhoes and excavators were being worked feverishly during the dry season clearing watercourse, of which there are 99,” Sammy said.

“But the rains were heavy and persistent. I heard parts of Woodland were also flooded. Normally, Woodland floods much later in the (rainy) season, so this is worrying.”

He accused central government of failing to clear the water courses “in their entirety.”

Newsday visited several areas in Clarke Road near the Penal Fire Station. Many drivers of low vehicles rerouted in order to avoid the flooded nearby roundabout.

Many cars along the SS Erin Road near Bownath and Ramjattan Traces parked on the roadside and waited for the water to subside.

Checks with police and fire stations in the south land revealed no reports of people affected by the weekend flooding such as being trapped in their homes or having their vehicles flooded or washed away.