Roberts said while the region was not among the hardest hit in the country, many of its residents still suffered huge losses in the wake of Bret.

“In San Juan/Laventille we have gotten some licks but I have to thank God that it could have been worse,” he said during a tour of the Aranguez/Warner Village electoral district, where farmers lost thousands of dollars worth of crops.

Almost one week after Bret’s passage, farm lands along William Trace, near the El Socorro South Pump, yesterday remained submerged in murky water due to an overflow from a large tributary of the Caroni River. The problem was exacerbated by heavy rainfall on Friday.

Rakesh Dulchan, who has been a farmer for all of his life, told Sunday Newsday his family has incurred thousands of dollars worth in cucumbers, bhaji and other produce because of the flooding and called on the authorities to devise a lasting solution to the problem.

Roberts led a team to the site, which included Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, project manager of the Programme for Upgrading Roads Efficiency Hayden Phillips and councillors.

Roberts said representatives from various state agencies were on the field doing assessments along corporation staff and cadets, whom he said, have volunteered their services.

“We are working with the (National) Self-Help Commission who are also in the field doing their surveys to bring relief by the end of next week,” he said.

Roberts said the roofs of some 36 houses in the region were blown off during Bret while a number of trees fell across the roadways “We have taken care of all of that. So all the roads are passable now.

But by the end of (the) week, people should be getting some relief from the Government.” Regarding flooding in William Street, Roberts said efforts were being made to address the plight of the farmers.

“This is a work in progress for us and we are collaborating with the Ministry of Works to bring relief to people down here,” he said.

Amrit Sooknanan, councillor for Aranguez/ Warner Village, said flooding in that part of his electoral district was a major issue.

“Throughout the San Juan/Laventille region we have that large flow of water coming in from the Caroni River,” he said.

“And we have suffered two burst banks (in El Socorro South).

So with the rise of the tide the river is not getting to go out to the sea.

This is something that will continue to happen if we don’t find the solution now.

“The solution is to get the temporary pumps, fix back the banks and dredge the river to accommodate .

more of the water.” Saying there were about 300 registered farmers in the area, Sooknanan is hoping that many of them will be compensated for their losses through the relief fund.

“Some of them went down to the agricultural estate office in Curepe to put through their complaints and we are taking things one step at a time,” he said. “I told them to put through the complaints and we would try to strengthen it up afterwards and see how we could get a resolution.

“The Minister of Agriculture and the Prime Minister said they will grant a certain amount of resources to recover certain things. I am not sure how far it will go but it is some form of assistance.” Sinanan assured that temporary pumps will be brought into the area to assist with drainage.

“The plan is that once the water level drops we are going to get as much water out as possible. Once we get some low tide and most of the water drain, we will get most of the water out,” he said.

“The challenge with flood waters is that you have to wait for the waters to subside.

There is nothing much you can do. “We have equipment, we have everything but if we pump this water now, it will just get back in at the low-lying areas.

There is a lot of work to be done after the water goes down.” Roberts praised his councillors, whom he said, support one-another unconditionally despite political affiliation.

“When is election time we focus on our particular parties to ensure that we win and after the election we know that we have to come together because all of us have to serve the people of San Juan/ Laventille,” he said.

“I hope that all of the other corporations would follow. It eh have no UNC and no PNM at this stage. The focus is on the people of the region.”

However, the family will have to return to their home once they get help to clean and sanitise the area, chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Dr Allan Sammy said yesterday.

He said contrary to a newspaper report, the family was not ordered to leave the shelter, and was neither evicted by the corporation.

“It is not true,” Sammy said of the report.

“She is still there and likely to be there for a few days still.” Sammy spoke with Sunday Newsday after a UNC press conference at Fun Splash in Debe.

Chance, who is pregnant, and her five children were stranded in their one-room, galvanise- home for 14 hours last Tuesday as their home was surrounded by floodwaters in the aftermath of the storm.

The family was rescued from being marooned by two villagers and were later given shelter at the activity centre.

But on Friday Chance, as reported in another newspaper yesterday, said her family was ordered to leave corporation representatives so the centre could resume its community activities.

Sunday Newsday spoke briefly on the phone to Ali yesterday who said he, his wife and their children were still at the centre. Asked how the family was doing, Ali said, “things just cool, man.” Sammy said Chance and others were told they would have to return to their homes eventually, but said the corporation would help them clean up their surroundings.

“We had told her, as we have told all others that we are moving out – we are moving you out because your house didn’t break down. We will clean your house for you, which we did yesterday. We will clean your pit latrine for you, we went to clean it but it can’t be cleaned yet so they will go back when the water goes down.” Sammy said the family will be returned to their home only after the pit latrine was cleaned which he anticipates will take a few days as the floodwaters have yet to subside.

Asked whether proper housing could be provided for the family, Sammy said the regional corporation was not able to provide homes to anyone as that fell under the purview of central government.

DO: Prime your eyes Eyeshadow primer will minimise creasing and allow your colours to show up true and vibrant. You can also apply a concealer or foundation over your primer to cancel out any discolouration, so you will have an even canvas to work on.

DON’T: Pull the eye taut to apply eyeshadow or eyeliner This can cause wrinkles in the long run. It also distorts the shape of your eye, so when you let go, you might be left with a very different result than you expected.

DO: Set your eyeshadow base Set your base with a translucent powder, a skin coloured eyeshadow or even your powder foundation. It will create a matte canvas, even out any discolouration and allow eyeshadows to blend smoothly. If you try to blend eyeshadow over a tacky base, it will grab onto certain areas and skip, leaving you with patchiness.

DON’T: Apply shimmer past the crease of the eye This will accentuate texture. It can also make your eyes look swollen and creepy. Instead, keep shimmer under the crease and on the eyelid.

DO: Apply transition colours to help with blending Transition colours are applied above your crease, and are generally lighter than your crease colour but deeper than your skin. They help to create a soft, seamless blend. You can use bronzer, face powder that’s too dark or any eyeshadow as a transition colour.

DON’T: Apply your crease colour too high This will distort the shape of your eyes and make them look sunken in. Instead use a smaller domed brush to apply colour to the crease of your eyes. The crease is just above your eyelid; with your finger, feel your orbital bone, or where your eye socket sinks in.

You can then use a larger brush to blend it out to soften the look. Remember to start small because blending will spread the colour.

DO: Use a fl uffy brush to blend Fluffy brushes work best for blending and giving you a soft, diffused look. You blend by moving your brush backwards and forwards, in “windshield wiper” motions.

Dense brushes work best for applying colour. Using a stiff or dense brush to blend will make the colour too concentrated and can leave you looking patchy.

Likewise, don’t use a fluffy brush to apply colour if you need it to be concentrated or vibrant, such as on the eyelid. It will not be opaque and pigment will fly everywhere, leaving you with a lot of fallout.

DON’T: Start with dark colours Starting with dark colours will make everything appear muddy. I recommend starting with the lightest colour and adding the darkest last. It’s much easier to build your dark colours gradually. You can always add more, but it will be much harder to take it away.

DO: Tap excess eyeshadow off your brush before applying If you load up your brush and apply it straight to your eyes, you’ll be left with a big mess when the excess eyeshadow falls all over your face.

DON’T: Overuse light or frosty eyeshadow If you apply frosty eyeshadow under your eyes, it can make your eyes look tired and swollen by accentuating any fine lines. Likewise, if you use light, frosty eyeshadow on the brow bone, you will draw attention to that area, creating the illusion that it is protruding. Opt for a matte or satin finish, and a colour that is slightly lighter than your skin tone for a softer effect. Keep the colour just under the arch of the eyebrow instead of applying it from the front of the brow to the tail.

DO: Hold your brush further back on the handle to make blending a breeze Doing this will help you to get a softer application. If you hold your brush too close to the bristles, it will give you too much control and thus, a harsher application.

DON’T: Blend eyeshadows too far under the eye If you smoke black eyeshadow too far under the eye, you will give yourself the dreaded “raccoon eyes.” Likewise, if you apply colour below the lash line on the outer part of your eyes, you will make your eyes look droopy and sad. Keep your eyeshadow lifted for a youthful, fresh effect.

DO: Make your lid colour pop Apply a concealer that is three to four shades lighter than your skin tone to the area you want to apply eyeshadow only. Immediately after, press on your eyeshadow with a flat, dense brush. This is especially great for those with deeper skin tones, who struggle with getting their colours to show up. You can also use your eyeshadow on a dampened brush to get the prettiest finish from metallic eyeshadows.

DON’T: Apply glitter without an adhesive If you don’t use an adhesive, glitter will move and fall onto your face throughout the day. A glitter adhesive will secure those pesky shimmer particles so you’ll be sparkling from sun up to sun down!

However, the hurricane season has just started and there will be more storms in the coming months. There’s no certainty TT will be spared as in the past. So here are some suitable suggestions for citizens if we happen to be hit by a storm/hurricane: * Contact all your loved ones at home and abroad. Let them know you are safe. Find out how those locally are.

* Check your surroundings.

Downed power lines are hazards.

* Take care before cleaning.

Standing water from floods is an electric shock hazard. Fallen trees, exposed structural damage, broken glass, debris pose many dangers.

* Find a safe place to stay until your home is cleaned and restored.

* Contact your insurance company. Get a damage assessment, submit a claim. Have a list of everything destroyed, damaged or missing. Brand names, prices, where the item was purchased are vital.

Historically, dealing with insurance companies leaves much room for improvement in TT .

* Restore your home. Get a professional. In TT everyone is a specialist. A guy told me he was a building contractor but had to borrow my measuring tape.

* Drive only when necessary; avoid flooded roads.

No sightseeing.

* Ensure your drinking water is not contaminated.

* Check refrigerated food for spoilage. When in doubt, throw out.

* Use phones only for emergency calls.

* Wear protective clothing and be cautious when cleaning to avoid injury.

* Take good care of your pets.

* Stay out of buildings that have water around them.

* Children must not play in stagnant water. What is joke for children is death for crapaud.

And may God bless our nation.

AV RAMPERSAD Princes Town

As we learn to love ourselves we can work on self-improvement, in which exercise can play a major role. With the right leg workout plan, you can reduce your cellulite and make your lower body look smoother and feel firmer. The trick is working all your lower body muscles from every angle, reducing the underlying fat stores and replacing lost muscle tissue to give the area a taut, toned appearance throughout. Here are a few exercises that firm and smoothen the thighs.

Side lunges: work the legs and hip muscles.

Start with a standing position. With your feet and knees together, stand straight.

Taking a wide step sideways, spread your legs apart, as far as you can go comfortably.

Now bending to your right, lunge towards the floor.

Make sure your left leg remains straight and stable.

As you lunge, take care that your right knee does not extend past your right toes.

Stay there for three breaths and then come back to the original position.

Repeat on the other side. This completes one rep of a side lunge. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

Curtsy lunge: Work the hamstrings and thigh.

Start from a standing position, and step your left leg behind you and to the right so your thighs cross, bending both knees as if you were curtsying.

Return to standing, and switch sides to complete one rep.

Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps per side.

Step-ups: This works the muscles of your upper leg.

To start, place your entire right foot onto the bench or chair. Press through your right heel as you step onto the bench, bringing your left foot to meet your right so you are standing on the bench.

Return to the starting position by stepping down with the right foot, then the left so both feet are on the floor. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

Donkey kicks: This exercise works all of your glute muscles.

Assume the starting position on all fours: knees hipwidth apart, hands under your shoulders, neck and spine neutral.

Bracing your core, begin to lift your right leg, knee staying bent, foot staying _ at, and hinging at the hip.

Use your glute to press your foot directly toward the ceiling and squeeze at the top. Ensure your pelvis and working hip stay pointed toward the ground.

Return to the starting position. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to

Sumo Squat Jumps Stand with your feet wide enough so that they point outwards at a 45 degree angle. Make sure your spine is in a straight, neutral position. Make sure your weight is through your heels.

Squeeze your leg and core muscles as you lower your body downwards, use your hands for balance if needed. Lower yourself until your butt is an inch or two off the ground. Hold for 1-2 seconds.

Explosively squeeze your leg and core muscles to raise yourself up into a jump. Landing softly before slowly moving into your second squat. This is one rep. Do 2-3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

These _ ve exercises, coupled with a healthy diet will aid in making your thighs look smoother and more youthful in appearance.

In a Sunday Newsday interview, Robinson-Regis said improper construction practices was contributing to the problem of flooding and made it clear that such action will not be tolerated under her watch.

“We are working with errant builders to have them conform and going to the courts in the case of those who refuse to follow the law,” she stated.

Regarding other measures to tackle flooding, Robinson-Regis said Government was currently pursuing the establishment of a waste management authority through the Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL).

“The decision was made by Cabinet in March 2017 to provide SWMCOL with the mandate to undertake the functions of a waste recycling authority for Trinidad and Tobago with the aim of easing the burdens on our landfills and modernising local waste disposal,” she said.

Robinson-Regis observed that citizens were yet to embrace a culture of recycling which, she believes, will greatly aid in waste management.

The Ministry of Works and Transport, she said, was currently involved in a nationwide assessment of drainage works in all constituencies to develop a plan for addressing our water courses and national drainage system.

“This is providing data on some of the more recent challenges being encountered which also involves input from the residents of these various communities.”

The decision was made yesterday morning by the UNC’s executive, one day after the party walked out of Parliament during a heated debate rife with allegations of racism from both sides of the floor. The party’s decision was announced by UNC political leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar in a press briefing yesterday afternoon at Fun Splash in Debe, where the party hosted an all-day strategic planning meeting attended by the executive, its members of Parliament and local government representatives.

“Today I received (a statement) from the national executive of our party…calling upon us in the Parliament, in the House, to file a motion of no-confidence in the Speaker based on not just last night’s incident (Friday), but there have been several incidents throughout the course of the year in this session,” said Persad-Bissessar. “And therefore, we have taken the decision today that we will file a motion of no-confidence in the Speaker of the House of Representatives.” Friday night’s incident involved a cross-floor shouting match which ended when the UNC MPs walked out of the Parliament. At the time, Persad-Bissessar’s motion on flooding as a matter of urgent importance was being debated.

The chaos began after Princes Town MP Barry Padarath criticised Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley of practising only “public relations” in his response to the extensive flooding in south Trinidad in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bret. He also accused Government of harbouring “disdain for the people of south Trinidad because they believe all those are UNC people.” Padarath’s comments threw the Parliament into a frenzy. Padarath accused Arouca/Maloney MP Camille Robinson-Regis of calling him a racist and in turn responded by calling the Prime Minister a racist. To put an end to the chaos, Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George suspended the sitting to return at 7.10 pm.

However, when the sitting resumed, Annisette-George did not return to the debate about the state of south Trinidad, but gave the floor to Port-of-Spain North/ St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young to resume the debate on the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Amendment Act. This further angered the Opposition who called on the Speaker to give a ruling on their point of order. When the Speaker ignored their request, the Opposition left the chamber.

“And it is at that point that we felt that there was no justice in the Parliament and we decided to leave the Parliament,” said Persad-Bissessar.

“Now this of its own is just one in a series of matters that we have great concern about in terms of properly representing our constituents in the parliament, for freedom of expression to take up issues in the Parliament.” Persad-Bissessar said, according to the Constitution and the Westminster style of democracy throughout the Commonwealth, the role of the Speaker is to “facilitate freedom of expression” in the Parliament within the limits of the existing standing orders. “It is the duty of the Speaker to let parliamentarians have their say in the Parliament.” The Opposition Leader said the party was not in a position to give their list of evidence to support their motion because of the rules which govern how the Speaker could be spoken about outside of Parliament. The evidence will be saved for the debate on the motion, she said. Government Leader Robinson-Regis told Sunday Newsday yesterday via telephone that she was surprised by the announcement.

“I do not know why they have no confidence in the Speaker.” She said the Princes Town MP was “extremely disrespectful” to the Speaker and to the House of Representatives, adding that there is a standing order regarding disrespect towards the Speaker.

“So I am very surprised that they should file a motion.” She added the Opposition is in their right if they want to file that motion and “if it comes to the Parliament we will proceed and see what happens.”

To make matters worse, a group of men among them one claiming to be a bailiff, removed all her household items from the property in Couva and transported them to the home of her mother, several miles away in Princes Town.

“They bring everything on a truck and dumped it here. The rain was drizzling a while ago. Where am I to put these things? The rain is about to burst down and another truck will be here any minute. They mashed up my washing machine. I do not kno w if my stove and TV still working,” Ramsaroop said.

Her children are between the ages of 21 and three. Three children attend schools in Couva–two are in secondary school and one is at a primary school.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday at her mother’s home at Glenroy Settlement in Princes Town, the widow explained that at about 8.30 am yesterday a group of men swooped down on her home at 7 Exchange Lot, Couva. The men did not show the family any documents or identification but told Ramsaroop that she and the family had to leave the property immediately.

The men were accompanied by two policemen.

Only in February 17, her common-law husband, heart-patient Krishna Rampersad, 65, died. Since then, the grandmother of two said one of his close male relatives has been trying to get her and the children of the two-storey concrete house.

“Krishna left a will and the house is for me and the children.

They know these things and feel because we have no money they could do us this.

They paid security to stay on the property for seven nights.

Where we going to sleep? There is no space here,” Ramsaroop said.

In a document dated June 2, under the title “notice of revocation of licence”, a male relative “ordered” her to remove her personal effects and belongings on or before June 23, claiming the licence to occupy the dwelling house had expired. There was neither a letterhead nor official stamp on the document.

“I don’t know what to do. I was living with this man for 23 years and now this happen. Their own flesh and blood they doing this to. This is wickedness,” charged the mother.

The family intends to seek legal advice on the matter.

However, the Eid holiday will still be tomorrow. Maulana Siddiq Nasir of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah Institute in San Fernando told Sunday Newsday yesterday that while the moon was not visible in Trinidad, it was seen in Guyana. He explained that Muslim groups in TT accept regional sightings for example from Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and Grenada for the observance of Eid.

Eid ul-Fitr is one of the most important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide as it marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Saunders’ company, Exotic Caribbean Mountain Pride, a name that was given to her by her mother, has developed from a small-scale, home-kitchen idea to a regionally-known, premium cocoa- derived products business.

At her unique Chocolate Bar Caf?, where all chocolate products are made using locally-produced Trinitario cocoa beans, Saunders was beaming with pride, having acquired her dream caf? at a location she was particular in choosing.

The caf? is nestled in the scenic Santa Cruz valley at 2 Sam Boucaud Extension Road. It is a place where customers are assured an experience of TT’s culture and taste.

Saunders held up her very first product, a chocolate in the shape of a cocoa pod and said: “With this little product, it changed my life.

I actually toured the world and I have been throughout the United States and the Caribbean, Nicaragua, Panama, Chile, Argentina, China…” She explained that her innovation in agriculture was recognised by the US Government, and in particular, former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in 2015, after which Saunders was asked to address the Women Entrepreneurship of the Americas, an organisation which Clinton founded in 2012.

Saunders said when Clinton saw streets lined with craft made by rural women in Columbia for the Summit of the Americas in 2015, she wanted to support them, by getting those skilful women in rural, impoverished communities to start their own home-based industries and employ other women in the community, thus empowering themselves.

“Being bilingual and able to communicate with the South Americans during the Summit in 2015, I was chosen to represent Entrepreneurship in Rural Industries by the Clinton Foundation and to speak on women in home-based industries and their influence on the economy,” Saunders said.

“They saw what my involvement in cocoa did to the cocoa industry in TT and now there are so many other people who are involved in local chocolates and cocoa.

“This indigenous product represents our history and our culture from our ancestral days. It is natural, with no added chemicals, it has a lot of antioxidants, and it is natural healthy.” Saunders shared her story, from a child growing up on a cocoa estate in rural Tamana, and how she has been affiliated to cocoa throughout her life.

“I grew up in a family where my parents were public servants but were also landowners with a small cocoa estate. As the only girl I really didn’t have that much estate experience because my parents pushed education.

“In those early days the cocoa will always come home, the beans were always in the backyard drying, but the most I will have to do is turn the beans and close the cocoa house if rain was coming. I was also part of dancing the cocoa and that was my involvement then.” After school, Saunders got a scholarship to study agriculture in Venezuela, something that she described as an experience that was more of a cultural exchange where she enhanced her cultural knowledge.

However, when her father died, her brothers looked to her to take over the land since she was the one that studied agriculture.

“I then told them if I am doing cocoa I am going to make chocolate,” Saunders said, reasoning that nobody was making edible chocolate at that time because it was not profitable.

As a graduate in agricultural management from United World College in Venezuela, Saunders taught herself from scratch about the fine art of chocolate making.

By visiting the parts of Trinidad where traditionally cocoa has been grown and processed to cocoa beverages for centuries, she engaged with the old folks, extracting the almost forgotten way of making “cocoa-tea”, especially from the older women who provided her with necessary knowledge and recipes for making the healthy, delicious drinks.

Later, after working closely with research institutions including the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri), she diversified the range of drinking chocolate products by adding flavours such as ginger, orange, mint, lemon grass and chili, herbs such as bay leaf and nutmeg, as well as rum for the chocolate liquor.

She started off in very small batches, making the cocoa tea at home and selling it to neighbours and souvenir shops in the region.

After a couple of months, Saunders started selling her products to the TT airports.

The business grew by word of mouth and the company was becoming increasingly recognised.

In 2007 Saunders was entrusted with the handling of the family cocoa estate up to the present.

“This is why ten years later, this is so emotional for me now.

Though there were challenges every step of the way, but converting cocoa to chocolate was a fascinating experience to me.

“Now I am doing white chocolate, milk chocolate but my goal was to have a place where people can enjoy my products and the culture of cocoa. So this dream I had was to get this caf? on the way to Maracas Beach and as a tourism thing.” In 2016 Saunders acquired the Santa Cruz property and began working on her dream. She said her design of the building was aimed at making it as natural as possible, not too commercial, not too modern, but classy as her chocolates’ classy finish.

Then to make it real she brought in the cocoa house complete with beans and movable roof.

At the Chocolate Bar Caf? breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.

The hot drinks menu offers original cocoa tea, mocha, non-diary chocolate, hot chocolate supreme, almond chocolate, americano and espresso, while the cold drinks include cocoa-mania (mint and coconut), mocha (coffee) very berry (strawberry) and chocorange (orange).

The hot cocoa is served in enamel cups.

For breakfast customers can get fried or coconut bake with local delights, and during the day, pancakes, bagels, omelettes, paninis, salads, burgers, buffalo wings and more.

Also on sale are a number of Saunders’ chocolate products including a four-piece box that is 60 per cent dark chocolates with a local flavour, since fudge, sugar cake and fruits for black cake are added for that Caribbean or Trini flavour, while the truffles come in different shapes.

The caf? is a beehive of activity on weekends, public holidays and for breakfast.

Saunders’ daughter Astrid, a business graduate who manages the caf? said she is her mother’s understudy and sees herself as part of a team comprising her other sister Milagro working together to keep the wheels turning.

“Mom is production, my sister – social media and marketing, and me to project the goals of the company to the shareholders, but our main goal is to keep the business family- oriented.” The elder Saunders said her mission now is to employ and support single women and their children in the community.

Currently she has six part-time employees and four others when the need arises.

Asked how she feels about her achievement, she responded: “I feel proud that I was able to accomplish my dream and that people can appreciate the history and the passion that went into the project