Sando ready for any disaster says mayor

San Fernando Mayor Navi Muradali says systems are in place in the event that the southern city is hit with a disaster similar to the Diego Martin floods. Muradali in a telephone interview yesterday said the San Fernando City Corporation, through its San Fernando Disaster Management Unit (SDMU), was working closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management. “They are prepared to handle any disaster in the city of San Fernando. They are actually in the process of an exercise with regards to the egress route, how to get out of San Fernando in the event of an emergency,” he added. With regards to the clearing of water courses, he said a work programme for extended boundaries, including Marabella and Cocoyea/Tarouba, was expected to begin next week.  

 

However, he said the clearing of water courses had been ongoing. Muradali said on Wednesday the corporation launched a collection drive for affected residents in Diego Martin. “Already we have began receiving items,” he added. Members of the public can drop off the items at the SDMU which is based at the corporation. The items would then be delivered to the Diego Martin Regional Corporation for distribution. He said items could be dropped off from Monday to Friday between 8 am and 4 pm. Meanwhile, president of San Fernando Business Association Daphne Bartlett has called for stringent measures against unscrupulous cutting of hills. She said: “There should be more regulations and monitoring of laws of lands with regards to the cutting of the hills and building on them. This is the lesson that should be learnt from the Diego Martin disaster.”