Heavy winds wreak havoc in South

Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) Dr Stephen Ramroop is concerned about what will happen to homes in high risk areas in the event of severe weather.
Ramroop expressed concern during a visit to Garth Road, Williamsville, where heavy winds blew off roofs and downed several trees yesterday afternoon. “If this is the outcome of heavy winds, what would happen if there is a hurricane?” he asked. Ramroop said the ODPM was about to embark on a project with the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to focus on high risk areas.However, he said, in the aftermath of yesterday’s incident, the disaster relief agency would have to speed up the process and go into homes with the permission of residents to see if the structures can withstand strong winds.

In an interview yesterday, Ramroop said he had received 26 reports of fallen trees, roofs blown off and damage to electrical and telephone wires and utility poles over areas stretching from Freeport to Williamsville, Caratal, Princes Town, Hardbargain, Lothians Road, Lengua, Sisters Road and Rio Claro.
He said he was also getting reports of similar incidents at Marabella and San Fernando where a portion of the roof of the South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) administration building on the compound of the San Fernando General Hospital blew off. A huge tree on Harris Promenade, opposite the Roman Catholic Church, fell and broke into pieces.“We were in Garth Road, doing our normal core project, going into the community to inform residents how to deal with emergencies and give them first aid kits when we came upon these disasters by coincidence,” Ramroop said.

He said there were 11 incidents at Garth Road, but the ODPM was able to quickly assess the damage and distribute tarpaulins to cover damaged roofs. He said the Regional Corporation, Fire Service and CEPEP responded quickly and began to remove fallen trees and assist with relocation of affected residents to the homes of friends and relatives. A source at the San Fernando General Hospital said the roof on the northern end of the administration building blew off landing at the back of the building at around 3.30 pm. No one was injured but the offices of Executive Medical Director of Health Dr Aeknath Misir and General Manager Patient and Support Services, Indra Maharaj, were affected.