Showers soak TT

The TT Meteorological Service (TTMS) at Piarco issued a severe weather bulletin about heavy showers and thundershowers over northern Trinidad. The release, issued at 9.30 am, stated that the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) had been enhanced by favourable upper level winds and heavy showers and thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds would affect areas of northern Trinidad.

It additionally stated that continuous heavy rainfall could have resulted in some rivers overflowing their banks with a consequence of street and flash flooding. In response to the TTMS bulletin, the ODPM put the National Task Force, which includes the Fire Services, Police Service, Defence Force and welfare and relief mechanism, on alert and also alerted regional corporations responded to mobilise emergency measures including evacuation. An emergency response team from the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation responed to calls in Bon Air, Arouca that homes were flooded. An official from the corporation told Newsday, the team began cleaning up operations in Bon Air from early morning with the help of residents. She said although water trucks were placed on stand-by, the district did not experience water problems.

In another incident, the roof of a three-bedroom home belonging to the Balmacoonsingh family of San Louis Road, Guaico was blown off early yesterday morning. The Sangre Grande Regional Corporation provided the family with a tarpaulin to cover the house and assisted in obtaining galvanise and other materials to repair the house. By late afternoon yesterday, the Balmacoonsinghs, with the help of neighbours, had completed repairs to about 50 percent of the house. An official from the Sangre Grande Corporation told Newsday there were no reports of landslides in Toco but the corporation would continue to monitor the area. Although there were reports of swollen rivers in Sangre Grande and Arima, no rivers overflowed their banks.

Residents of several parts of Arima, however, told Newsday, they experienced a power outage which lasted for about 20 minutes after lightning struck at about 7 am. An official from the TT Electricity Commission, Arima, told Newsday, brief outages usually occur during thunderstorms and was beyond the control of the commission.

A senior meteorologist of the TTMS told Newsday rainfall recorded between 2 am and 8 am yesterday measured 27 mm, which was considered normal during the rainy season. He said a tropical wave was expected to develop during tonight and early tomorrow morning which may cause heavy rainfall with the possibility of street and flash flooding.