The level of devastation wrought by last weekend's unprecedented flooding has left senior Government officials now doing assessment across Trinidad reeling.
Unable to digest what he witnessed as he visited affected residents throughout Vega De Oropouche, Sangre Grande on Thursday, Ricardo Almarales described the impact as "catastrophic."
The acting Social Welfare Advisor I at the Ministry of Social Development said although he had attempted to visit affected areas on Saturday, he was still unable to access certain places due to the water levels, which exceeded eight feet at some points.
A resident of Sangre Grande himself, Almarales said, "What I am seeing here today (Thursday)....we weren't really prepared for it.
"This is catastrophic. A lot of people lost everything."
Almarales along with other officials and volunteers conducted house to house walkabouts Thursday, to assess the damage to property, equipment, furniture, clothing and groceries.
Working alongside the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, Almarales said they had been joined by volunteers from the Red Cross and the Sangre Grande Municipal Police to complete the assessments in a timely manner.
He advised residents whose homes were already assessed to go ahead and discard ruined furniture, appliances and clothing.
Providing a measure of hope to affected persons, as he said cheques may be ready from as early as next week, Almarales said although the grants may not cover the total amount of losses recorded, "what we are trying to do is give them a start."
Almarales estimated that thousands of people had been affected in Vega De Oropouche alone.
Confirming this, Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman Terry Rondon said while this level of devastation had never been witnessed before, the level of dishonesty also being displayed by some hampered genuine efforts to reach those most affected.
Commending the business community and private residents from Sangre Grande who had donated thousands of dollars worth of relief supplies, Rondon said following the initial grabbing and hoarding which occurred he opted to hand over hampers and other supplies to the various councillors to distribute to affected residents.
That too, he claimed, was a process which had been plagued by claims of mismanagement and unfair distribution.
As a result, Rondon said he secured a place at Picton Street, Sangre Grande, where a mass distribution exercise has been planned for today at 9 am.
He urged those affected to come and bring their children, as well as the elderly who are in need of food and supplies.