Bad weather causes flooding, landslides, downed trees

RAIN showers, isolated thunderstorm activity and associated gusts near downpours as a result of a yellow-level adverse weather event caused flooding in some areas, an increase in river levels, fallen trees, landslips and fires.

In an incident report on June 10, the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government said there were four flooding events, including at L’Orange Road, Aripo, Foster Road near Marchak Trace and Toco Main Road, Matura, in the vicinity of the sawmill.

There were five fallen trees, one each in the Diego Martin Borough Corporation, Couva Tabaquite Talparo Regional Corporation, the Mayaro Rio Claro Regional Corporation, the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation.

A fallen tree in the vicinity of Damian Bay, Lower Blanchisseuse Road rendered the road impassable. The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation’s disaster management unit, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and other agencies cleared the area.

There was also a fire in the Couva Tabaquite Talparo Regional Corporation.

Landslides occurred in the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation, the Mayaro Rio Claro Regional Corporation and the Princes Town Regional Corporation, including a partial collapse of the main road in Aripo and a major landslip in the Poole Village area.

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen said many of those landslips had been occurring incrementally and were exacerbated by the rain.

“No action was taken by the previous government, there was no maintenance to mitigate against it getting this bad.”

She said the ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries to ensure the swift deployment of equipment, personnel, and resources to affected communities.

“Emergency response teams and heavy equipment will be redeployed as necessary to address emerging situations. All flood-mitigation efforts continue, and where there are emergencies arising, we will divert equipment and personnel.”

A total of 465 sandbags were handed out, ten in the Couva Tabaquite Talparo Regional Corporation, 27 in the Diego Martin Borough Corporation, 12 in the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation, 137 in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, 250 in the Penal Debe Regional Corporation and 29 in the San Juan Laventille Regional Corporation.

Three tarpaulins and five mattresses were given out in the Diego Martin Borough Corporation.

The TT Meteorological Service said other impacts were temporary traffic disruptions; street flooding and localised ponding; displacement of objects by gusts of wind; and difficulty manoeuvring and anchoring smaller marine craft.

It said an increase in weather activity was expected overnight with a peak in activity on the morning of June 11.

The Met Service instructed the public to secure loose outdoor objects. It also said motorists and residents in flood-prone areas should avoid flooded areas, exercise caution and take necessary precautions to mitigate potential impacts.

As of noon on June 10, the Arouca River was at 48 per cent capacity, the Caroni River at Bamboo Settlement No 3 was at 50 per cent capacity, the El Carmen River was at 52 per cent capacity, the North Oropouche River at Toco Road was at 61 per cent capacity, the South Oropouche River was at 12 per cent capacity, the Guaracara River was at 17 per cent capacity, the Cipero River was at 21 per cent capacity, the Caroni Tumpuna River was at 72 per cent capacity, the San Juan River was at 24 per cent capacity, the Manuel Congo River was at 82 per cent capacity, the Cunupia River was at 17 per cent capacity, the Couva River was at six per cent capacity, the Maraval River was at 15 per cent capacity, the Diego Martin River was at 34 per cent capacity and the Caura River was at 44 per cent capacity. No figure was given for the Caparo River.

WASA: Treatment plants affected by rainfall

The Water and Sewerage Authority said several of its surface water treatment plants had been affected by the persistent rainfall. It said the plants experienced high turbidity and clogged screens caused by flooded rivers arising from heavy rainfall.

The areas of Toco and Balandra were affected by the Tompire plant, while the Matura community was affected by the Matura plant. Parts of Valencia were affected by the Quare plant and parts of Arima, Pinto Road, Mt Pleasant and Calvary Hill were affected by the Guanapo plant.

The Aripo plant affected Santa Rosa Heights, Pinto Road, parts of Tumpuna Road and Valencia, while the La Pastora plant affected the communities of La Pastora and Lopinot. The Mc David plant affected the communities of Surrey and Lopinot, while the Caura plant affected El Dorado, Tacarigua and parts of Tunapuna.

Parts of Maracas, St Joseph were affected by the Acono and L&N plants. The communities of Las Cuevas, La Fillette and Blanchisseuse were affected by the Las Cuevas, Rincon, La Fillette and Blanchisseuse plants.

In Tobago, the communities of Hope, John Dial, Bacolet and Scarborough were affected by the Hillsborough West plant. The communities of Plymouth, Crown Point, Canaan and Bon Accord were affected by the Courland plant. Moriah, Upper Golden Lane and Mason Hall were affected by the Highlands Road plant, and Delaford and Speyside were affected by the Kings Bay plant.