Hundreds without shelter in Tobago

Hurricane Ivan wreaked havoc in Tobago Tuesday as its forceful winds and heavy rains ravaged the island, depriving residents of the basic amenities, tearing off roofs and uprooting trees. Some 500 persons were evacuated from their coastline properties and other potentially disastrous areas to the 72 NEMA emergency shelters on the island, as storm winds and rains smashed across the island from about 12 pm. When the storm subsided just after 5 pm, more than 600 persons, most of them along the northeast of Tobago, had been reportedly left without shelter and one pregnant woman died after a tree fell on her wooden two-storey Bethel home, crushing her. The Signal Hill Secondary School, St Joseph’s Convent, The Licensing Department and the Patience Hill RC Church were among several public buildings which lost roofs on the western end of the island.

Even as residents undertook clean-up exercises and officials attempted to assess the damages incurred, most of Tobago remained without electricity, water or telephone facilities. Villagers of Bloody Bay, Castara and environs were cut off from the rest of the island, as the Northside road was impassable. TTEC and TSTT crews as well as employees of the THA Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities were out early yesterday seeking to restore electricity and telephone services. The communications departments of both companies said they were unable to say exactly when the utilities would be restored because of the extent of the damage caused by fallen poles. Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment, Pennelope Beckles, also met with WASA officials on the island to determine ways to quickly restore a supply.

Meanwhile, during a press briefing at the Tobago NEMA headquarters, Fairfield Complex with Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Minister of Works and Transport, Franklyn Khan,  THA Chief Secretary Orville London and other officials, coordinator of NEMA Tobago Owen Sandy reported that operations on the island were slowly returning to normal. He said most of the occupants of the shelters had returned to their homes to try to effect repairs, “not that this necessarily meant they had some place to go to.” Sandy expressed comfort at the disclosure made by PM Manning that a boat carrying relief supplies and building materials had been dispatched to Tobago to assist with the shortage of building resources. He reported that he was pleased with the island’s preparedness for Ivan “based on the limited resources available,” and held Manning to his promise to grant Tobago whatever it needed by making several requests for effective future disaster planning. Manning met with Chief Secretary London yesterday after his aerial tour of the island to discuss its needs, which will be addressed at today’s Cabinet meeting.