Tobago on alert

Tobago remained on full emergency alert yesterday following a severe weather advisory for the weekend issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service on Friday. The emergency response systems will remain in place today and through to tomorrow, unless otherwise advised by the Met Service. With last week’s rainstorm/landslide disaster — in which two persons perished — still fresh in the minds of  the populace, Tobago was placed on full alert. Several response systems were activated on Friday evening after the Met Service advised that Trinidad and especially Tobago could be affected by severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, over the weekend.

his was preceeded by an emergency meeting of  NEMA Tobago’s Disaster Management Committee, which included representatives of the Fire Services, Police, the Tobago House of  Assembly’s (THA) Hea-lth/Social Services Division, the THA Administrator, TTEC, and others. Among measures instituted, was the activation of  Remote Operation Centres (ROCs) at Delaford, Charlotteville and Speyside, the three districts on Tobago’s north-east end that were badly affected last week. It was noted that these areas were particularly at risk, as people were still living close to slopes that had been affected by landslides. Also, the water level in rivers had risen significantly due to silting from last week, and as a result the danger of flooding was very acute with the slightest rainfall.