75 reports of roof damage, land slippage in Tobago

over 2 years in TT News day

Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) workers were busy in the field early on Saturday providing relief to residents who have been affected by bad weather.
On Thursday night, powerful winds and heavy rainfall tore the roof off a house in Castara Road, Mt St George, leaving a pensioner, Ruby Solomon and her 11 family members without shelter. The roofs of three other homes in Goodwood and Pembroke were also severely damaged in the bad weather.
The bad weather, which generated winds of 32 mph and gusts of 40 mph, also caused power outages in Mason Hall, Mt Irvine, Mt Grace. Bon Accord, Hope, Belle Garden and Kendal.
Several trees also fell along the Claude Noel Highway, near the entrance to the Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort, Lowlands, but were quickly removed.
On Saturday, TEMA director Allan Stewart said the agency is responding to some 75 reports, including damage to roofs and land slippage, in several parts of the island.
“We did have some additional reports of roofs blown off in the Bloody Bay/L’Anse Fourmi area. We have a disrupted roof up there. So, teams are attending to those reports,” he told Sunday Newsday.
“Today (yesterday), we received 22 reports so the teams are out there in the field doing the preliminary damage assessment and needs analysis.”
Stewart said heavy rainfall also triggered a landslide, which dislocated a house in the Moriah/St Peter’s Bay area shortly after 3 am on Saturday. A family of six is now seeking assistance.
He said a house at Frenchfield has also been affected by a landslide.
Sunday Newsday also learnt that a large tree fell unto the Northside Road, Big River, Mason Hall around 10 am, causing traffic along the usually busy roadway to be temporarily diverted. A tree also fell unto some electricity lines in Concordia, disrupting power supplies in the area.
Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment Kwesi Des Vignes was on the scene helping TEMA direct traffic.
TEMA confirmed it had received reports of 24 damaged/blown of roofs, 18 fallen trees, 13 fallen utility polls, seven threatening trees, three blocked roadways, three incidents of residential flooding, three landslides, two incidents of structural damage to buildings, one landslide threat and one incident of landslide spilling unto a roadway.
The agency said the Tobago Emergency Operations Centre (TEOC) expects further reports owing to land saturation.
“Therefore, the TEOC is partially activated to deal with the numerous reports,” TEMA said.
It advised distressed persons to call 211 to report any incidents or damages.
THA Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis was expected to host a virtual meeting with officials from TEMA and other disaster relief agencies. But up until news time there was no word on the outcome of the meeting.
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