Rain, mudslides, floods hit Tobago

Mini mudslides and floods slowed traffic on the Northside Road yesterday, following several hours of persistent rainfalls which, in one instance, caused a mudslide that toppled a house in Moriah with a mother and her three children inside.

National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) Tobago co-ordinator, Owen Sandy, has issued an early warning for Tobagonians to begin securing themselves.

Sandy insisted that as a result of last November’s disasters, the public needed to understand that disaster preparedness began with individuals and not NEMA or the Tobago House of Assembly.

He advised people to look more closely at where they constructed their homes, or to build the proper retaining systems as most of the reports received were from houses built on embankments.

Sandy told Newsday that people also needed to control their run-off water to avoid soil erosion.

He advised the use of proper drainage and guttering systems that channel water away from house foundations.

"If anything should happen, it would not be from the lack of information because we have issued many ads and I think that after last November, people have become more aware of what should be done. Once you have the information that you may be in danger, you have to put systems in place to mitigate the effects," Sandy warned.

He told Newsday that if the rains persist, serious challenges would be faced during this hurricane season as the authorities had not been able to effect all the necessary remedial changes from last year’s impact which can further compound the situation.

There were no reports of major slides or floods in any other parts of the island.