Another day of heavy showers and thunderstorms brought floods to parts of central and northern Trinidad yesterday.
Flooding was reported across parts of Freeport, Chase Village, Chaguanas, Montrose, Edinburgh 500, Cunupia, Pasea, St Augustine, Maracas St Joseph, Champs Fleurs, San Juan and Barataria.
Floodwaters along the Eastern Main Road, near the Water and Sewage Authority headquarters at St Joseph and the Maracas Royal Road in the vicinity of Poolside #2, temporarily hindered traffic.
While there were no alerts, watches, or warnings in effect for Trinidad and Tobago from the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, they advised of the possibility of street flooding and gusty winds in their 10 am forecast yesterday.
In a social media post, the Met Office also explained, “Moisture from the ITCZ together with this morning’s (Thursday) heating and local dynamics will result in light to moderate showers in varying areas and a 60 per cent chance of thunderstorm activity favouring but not confined to western coastal areas of Trinidad.”
They added that the axis of a tropical wave is just past Trinidad and Tobago, and most of the associated disturbance weather had drifted north of T&T and was affecting the central Lesser Antilles. The TTMS said the next analysed tropical wave is over the central north Atlantic and is estimated to reach the Lesser Antilles early next week.
The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring an area of disturbed weather, associated with a tropical wave that recently moved off the western African coast, which has a 10 per cent chance for tropical cyclone development over the next 48 hours and a 20 per cent chance over the next five days. At this time, it poses no direct threat to Trinidad and Tobago, according to the TTMS.
San Fernando hospital flooded
Parts of the San Fernando General Hospital were flooded following heavy rains yesterday.
Shortly after 4 pm, water started cascading from the guttering of the hospital.
Within half an hour, at least two inches of water had entered the ground floor of the old hospital building, flooding Xray areas, the Foyer and the corridors near the San Fernando Blood Bank.
Visitors on their way to the hospital wards had to gingerly step through the water. Hospital maintenance staff were quickly called in and began mopping up the rooms and corridors.
Communications Manager at the Southwest Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Kevon Gervais is out of the country and attempts to contact other communications personnel proved futile.