President and wife send supplies to Matelot

The supplies were airlifted to the residents on Sunday by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard, a media release from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force revealed.

The release also stated that members of the First Engineering Batallion is working closely with the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and the Ministry of Works and Transport in an attempt to clear debris along transport routes. In addition to continued efforts from authorities, residents of Grande Riviere have also reported that water and electricity have returned to their homes following last week’s landslides which left many power lines along the North Coast badly damaged.

Newsday spoke yesterday to several residents of Grand Riviere who said that they are grateful for the support they have received during their time of need. “We got back our electricity at about 3am yesterday (Sunday) morning and our water not long before.

We’re very grateful for the work the army and the ODPM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management) have been doing for us thus far.” Other residents, however, said that while they were happy that a sense of normalcy has returned to their community, they remain uneasy as many farmers have lost crops during the landslides.

One such farmer, Leroy Peters, said that he and other farmers are now uncertain what their fates will be. “Right now we’re just waiting to see what happens next.

I’m supposed to get a visit from some officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries tomorrow (today) but they haven’t indicated to me how long the process may take or even if I will be able to receive any compensation for the crops lost.”