Sascha Wilson
Following the heavy floods in parts of St Helena, Kelly Village, Warrenville and environs on Thursday, it is anticipated that more than 500 households have been adversely affected.
Senior Disaster Management Coordinator at the Rural Development and Local Government Ministry Jerry David said the figure was based on the number of reports they received in 2018 following major flooding in those communities.
“In the St Helena, Kelly Village, Warrenville and all those areas there we took a little survey, we went back to 2018 to see how many reports we had coming out of that area because primarily the very same area was impacted. We had some areas some 503 reports in 2018 now we are now going on the ground to do the assessments. Once again we suspect that we will probably get a number equal to 500 or probably more. But, I can only give that answer when we complete the damage assessment and the needs analysis.”
Noting that many times members of the public question why immediate assessments are not done, he said assessments could only be conducted when the water recedes.
He said they will also be doing assessments in the Tunapuna, Sangre Grande, Grande Chiquito and the Penal/Debe areas where there were also reports of flooding. While there was a lot of street flooding in the Penal/Debe area, they received reports that seven homes were flooded. “Penal/Debe escaped this time and I am very happy for them. They have suffered so much in the last number of years.”
David said they will then send the completed assessment to the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services for their intervention. David is hoping that the assessments would be completed by this weekend.
While several residents were seen leaving their homes as floodwater rose in St Helena and environs, David said they had reports about eight people having to evacuate, but there is a culture in Trinidad where people don’t like to leave their property.
While there are 70 shelters, all COVID-19 compliance, across the 14 regional corporations, he said so far there has been no request for accommodation.
“But, Trinidadians, as of now, don’t like to go to shelters that’s why we first advocate that you go to a family member or friend until the hazard passes over and you can return to your homes.”
Expecting that people will be discarding flood-damaged items on the roadside, he said the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation’s health department has already been mobilised and will be assisting residents to clear out some of those things on Monday.
Explaining that Thursday’s flooding was a Level Two occurrence, which means more than one regional corporation was impacted, he said when that happens they pool equipment and resources from other corporations. “The regional corporations have been able to deal with the issues that are placed before us in terms of the hydro-meteorological events and it is not only flooding we are dealing with. We are dealing with landslides, we are dealing with fallen trees and we are dealing with blown off roofs because of high winds.”
Noting that they have been responding to these reports over the last two weeks, he said if a tree falls they have their in-house resources, or they may seek assistance from the fire service.
“When it comes to flooding like yesterday we had called upon the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard to assist in removing people who were endangered because of the flooding, move them to a safer location. We had other volunteer response individuals who have those big off-road vehicles they were assisting us also in removing individuals to a place of safer location.”
When roofs are blown off, he said they would provide residents with mattresses and tarpaulins and refer the matter to National Commission for Self Help Ltd for assistance to repair their homes.
