Heavy rains which began during the early hours yesterday morning forced the evacuation of at least nine people whose homes were said to be slipping into the sea in Matura, while gusty winds ripped the roofs off another 11 households in the community.
Over in Blanchisseuse, at least three homes were also reported to be slipping after the supporting land was washed away, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) CEO Dr Stephen Ramroop confirmed.
He said the inclement weather had left "quite an impact on the Blanchisseuse and Matelot areas." He said residents in the north-eastern part of Trinidad began reporting the adverse effects from as early as 3 am yesterday, which included several trees falling into a nearby river.
Ramroop said the river was blocked and resulted in several homes being flooded, as the rising waters were prevented from flowing downstream. He added that rehabilitation work had also been hampered by a landslide which occurred along the main access road into Matura and surrounding areas.
Heartened by the presence of Ministry of Works and Transport officials who were out very early helping affected residents, Ramroop said they were working alongside the regional corporations to "ensure residents had some level of comfort and shelter."
He said the National Operations Centre's helicopter was used to conduct an aerial assessment of the damage and the impact on residents and temporary shelters had been activated.
Assuring the ODPM was prepared for any situation, Ramroop said, "The ODPM had pre-positioned supplies and equipment on the other end so that if an event occurred residents would have help." He said the ministry had been tasked with clearing the blocked roadway, which was expected to reopen by noon yesterday.
While there were not many reports of flooding in Blanchisseuse, Ramroop said three homes were threatened by slippage after the heavy rains washed away the majority of the material from under them.
Ramroop also credited the media and social media for acting as an early warning system to alert residents across the country about adverse reports on rainfall and flooding.
Even as T&T grapples with the effects of heavy rains and the resultant issues, so too are other Caribbean territories such as Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Heavy rains on Tuesday across St. Vincent left a number of houses in Kingstown destroyed, while floodwaters exposed the contents of some graves at the Sandy Bay Cemetery and blocked, damaged or destroyed a number of bridges