West Trinidad Cleans up After Heavy Rainfall and Flooding

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TRINIDAD & TOBAGO — Strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with bad weather over the past 48 hours led to power outages and flash flooding in West Trinidad on Monday.

The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported that several homes in the East and Central Trinidad also lost roofs.

Homes in Westmoorings, Talparo, Couva and Chaguanas lost roofs, the T&T Guardian said was told.

At about 2.45 pm, the Diego Martin River also broke its banks at Sierra Leone Road, causing severe flooding throughout the area, including the Diamond Vale and Garnet Road areas. It is believed that culverts placed near Garnet Road subsequent to the severe flooding a few months ago were pushed away by the raging flood waters, causing the extreme flooding, the newspaper reported.

Resident Eric Harewood said luckily no homes were affected.

“The force of the water pushed the culvert, breaking the barrier, so all the debris and sediment came down from the Richplain and Factory Road. Even the compound of the Tru Valu Supermarket was under water,” Harewood was quoted by the Guardian as saying

Up to late Monday officials from the Diego Martin Regional Corporation were clearing the roadways and pathways throughout the area.

The heavy winds from the weather pattern were also said to have felled a tree which killed a Diego Martin resident at the Granville Beach in Cedros on Sunday. (See Page A7)

The T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) also deployed approximately 25 crews across the country to restore electricity supply to several areas affected by incidents as a result of the inclement weather, which the Met Office said was due to the passage of a tropical depression, the Guardian reported.

T&TEC corporate communications manager Annabelle Brasnell was reported as saying that following heavy rains and high winds, the electricity grid was impacted by fallen overhead lines, downed trees, feeder trips and, in some instances, of roofs being blown onto lines. Customers in North and East Trinidad were particularly affected.

“Crews have been working continuously to restore supply but have been slowed by the persistent bad weather. At 4 pm (yesterday) there were just over 40 outstanding reports in the East, 12 in the North, three in Central and one in South. The system is operating normally in Tobago,” Brasnell said, according to the Guardian.

T&TEC general manager Kelvin Ramsook assured customers that emergency crews would have worked through the night to complete the repairs.

“We apologise for the inconvenience being experienced and we are working to resolve the issues in the quickest possible time”, Ramsook said, adding emergency reports can be made to 800-TTEC (8832) or 800 BULB (2852).