PM Manning: TT to help Ivan’s victims

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday said that Trinidad and Tobago stood ready to help any of its Caricom neighbours recover from the effects of Hurricane Ivan, and citizens need to treat natural disasters with a greater level of seriousness. The Prime Minister said since Monday, he has been regularly updated by National Security Minister Martin Joseph and Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London about the storm’s progress. He stated that both men are being briefed regularly by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Manning said he has also been in contact with St Vincent and the Grenadines, PM Dr Ralph Gonsalves, St Lucia’s PM Dr Kenny Anthony, and other Caricom leaders about Hurricane Ivan. He said he was unable to reach either Barbados PM Owen Arthur or Grenada PM Dr Keith Mitchell. Noting that Tobago and these other countries may suffer more from Ivan’s wrath, the Prime Minister said:“While there are arrangements in place in Tobago, to the extent it is necessary those arrangements can be easily supplemented with resources from Trinidad. We are in touch with our Caricom partners and to the extent that any assistance is required from TT, we will do whatever we can.” Manning and Gonsalves said in the wake of this storm, there may be a need to review regional mechanisms to deal with natural disasters, particularly the Caribbean Disaster Relief Fund.

The Prime Minister said Government ordered all offices and schools to be closed yesterday in preparation for Hurricane Ivan and “we are advising people to stay indoors as much as possible.” Noting there were media reports about persons venturing outside despite warnings from the authorities, Manning said: “I would like to advise all members of the national community that this is by no means a joke or a dry run. This is a hurricane. We have not had one in Trinidad for a long time and therefore people are not so sure what it means but you merely have to look at what has been happening in the rest of the region, Florida in particular. I was in Cuba two weeks ago (for a pacemaker implant and eye surgery) and I saw the effect of the hurricane. It is something that someone must not play with.”

The Prime Minister also indicated that the nation’s emergency services were fully prepared for the worst. “All systems are go,” Manning said. Asked whether he would publicly address the nation once the threat posed by the hurricane had passed, the Prime Minister replied: “Let’s wait and see.” Government officials said once a full assessment of Hurricane Ivan’s effects on TT has been made, a public statement will be issued. They said other officials have been working round the clock with NEMA to ensure that the Prime Minister and other government ministers are regularly updated about the storm. Health Minister John Rahael said no special Cabinet meeting was held concerning the hurricane on Monday and all ministers knew what they had to do.

Manning also expected Port-of-Spain to suffer some flash flooding due to the hurricane and a longer term solution would have to be devised to deal with flooding in the capital city.  Works and Transport Minister Franklin Khan agreed with Manning about the likelihood of flash flooding in Port-of-Spain. He said the Ministry had mobilised units in areas prone to landslides and flooding while its Highways Division has been deployed to clear any debris from the roads.

Tobago Senator:

Ivan less than Flora

By SEAN DOUGLAS

HURRICANE IVAN caused some damage in Tobago, but islanders were grateful to escape any repeat of the fury of Hurricane Flora which had struck in 1963. Despite some problems with the telephone service and electricity supply, Newsday managed to get through to Independent Senator Dr Eastlyn McKenzie and her daughter Ethlyn at their Lambeau home. They gave an account of how Ivan had impacted their area up to 4 pm yesterday. Ethlyn said: “It is subsiding now. Many roofs are gone from houses and garages. Lots of galvanise are down. Some houses have been destroyed. Lots of avocado and banana trees are down. We have no current.”

She noted that the destruction was worse in areas like Moriah and Mason Hall. “A lot of villages have been evacuated,” she said. “Many people in the Windward are in shelters, schools and community centres”.  The storm had raged worst at about 12 noon to 1 pm. She said Tobago was still on a hurricane watch and she expected a couple more hours of rain and wind. Ethlyn felt residents had been kept well informed about the course of the hurricane. So how did she feel during the storm? “You were actually hearing some trees falling, and the wind. To hear something like this for the first time is a bit scary, something of this magnitude. “You were in awe of something that could wreak such havoc. It was an experience”. She said during the storm she had spent the time telephoning friends to find out what they were doing. “We were staying in bed, trying to keep warm, and sometimes looking outside to see what was happening. And praying it comes to an end soon”.

Dr Eastlyn McKenzie said she was doing okay. “We had very high winds and rain. We had a tree or two going down, but nothing too much where I am”. She said they had been without current for about four hours. “When trees are down they bring down power lines,” she said without annoyance. “We expected that”.  She was full of praise for Radio Tambrin and other radio and television stations for having kept Tobagonians well informed during the crisis. “They were running disaster preparedness programmes for months, not just now, sponsored by NEMA. The radio stations kept people up to date. The information flow has been good about what has been happening”. Television had been off due to a power outage, she said, but added: “Most people had battery radios”.

She said the Meteorological Station had just sent out crews to all the villages to assess damage. But for now she was glad that Ivan had not done the damage done by Flora in 1963. “For those of us who had lived through Flora, Ivan was not too bad. What happened in Lambeau today is nothing in comparison to what happened in 1963. This is a ‘high wind’ in comparison. We are happy about that. In 1963 people lost their lives; that was a real course of destruction!” Eastlyn said there were no reports of casualties, although Tobago was still a bit windy.  Sounding optimistic, she even looked forward to attending the opening of Parliament in Trinidad on Friday.

Ivan shuts down TT

TRINIDAD AND Tobago was abruptly shut down yesterday because of the Hurricane warning imposed on the islands on Monday night. Following the advisory from the met services and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Education announced that all schools be closed yesterday. As news of Hurricane Ivan’s approach spread throughout the country yesterday morning, several businesses issued media announcements of their closure.

The capital Port-of-Spain was a virtual ghost town with the exception of a few persons liming on the streets. All banks, stores and other businesses remained close. Even the popular KFC restaurant on Independence Square which boasts of being opened 364 days a year, except Christmas Day, was forced to keep its doors shut. Two Chinese restaurants were however opened as well as Church’s Chicken and Grillers. All the vendor carts and fruit stalls were also secured. Things are expected to return to normal today, since the hurricane has moved away from Trinidad toward the other Caribbean islands.