A Beach house destroyed by the force of the flood waters that swept over the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road in Trinidad & Tobago
Over the last two weeks Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados suffered floods caused by unprecedented rainfall. As expected the opposition in Guyana politicized the issue and was critical of the government’s $500M countrywide clean-up exercise. No mention is being made however, of the magnitude of rainfall and the fact that Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago both had similar experiences during the same period despite being better equipped with drainage facilities. What is also being neglected is the speed at which accumulated water drained when compared to previous instances.
The impact of indiscriminate dumping of garbage which continues unabated cannot be understated and Town Clerk(ag) Carol Sooba’s comment on the issue must be noted as well. Sooba told a section of the media “deeply politically aligned” managers at the Georgetown City Council are not enforcing the anti-litter laws. The laws are aimed at combating indiscriminate disposal of refuse. Sooba said that dumping in the canals affected the speed at which water drained.
Over in Trinidad chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Terry Rondon described the floods which followed intense rainfall last week as the worst he has seen in 45 years. Barbados experienced a similar situation with severe flooding in many areas caused by rainfall.