Close to 100 homes were affected by the heavy rains and thunderstorm in the South of the island on Saturday.
Within a three hour period starting around 3:30pm, four to five inches of rain fell in San Fernando, triggering significant flooding when the Cipero and Vistabella rivers burst their banks.
San Fernando Mayor, Junia Regrello, who toured affected areas on Sunday, said they had been out since 6 am. He said the major problem affecting the city was people using the road reserve to extend their property. He said it prevents the corporation from having access to clean the river and the mouth of the river.
The mayor said, “I am making a special appeal, do not occupy or do any planting or make it a leisure park for your home.”
He said the corporation began a clean-up campaign and bulk waste pick-up two weeks ago.
Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi who was also apart of the tour, said they had all hands on deck to help with the clean-up operations — there were representatives from the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Ministry of Social Development, the Disaster Management Unit, 250 Cepep workers, and City Corporation workers.
The incumbent candidate for Les Efforts East/Cipero Rishi Balramsingh was out distributing meals, drinking water, and sanitisers to the affected residents.
Princes Town and Debe, to a lesser extent, were also affected. There was flooding on the S.S. Erin Road in the vicinity of the Debe Market.
In central Trinidad, street flooding occurred in Edinburgh 500 and Charliewille but quickly subsided.
An advisory from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) late yesterday confirmed that there were at least 23 flooding incidents in communities within the city of San Fernando, the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation and the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation. A landslide occurred on the Pointe-a-Pierre Main Road near Palms Club.