| Event: | FL Flood |
| Number: | 2018-000194 |
| Country: | TTO Trinidad & Tobago |
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| Date (YMD): | 2018-10-25 |
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| Information Source: | IFRC |
| Comments: | On Tuesday, 16 October 2018, the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Office (TTMS) issued an Adverse Weather Alert (Yellow Level) that predicted showers and thunderstorms due to the presence of an Inter-Tropical Convergent Zone (ITCZ); the warning was in place from Wednesday, 17 to Friday, 19 October. On Thursday, 18 October, the TTMS upgraded the alert to Orange Level, as the ITCZ continued to produce intermittent periods of rain/showers and thunderstorm activity. Late Thursday, 18 October, the TTMS issued a Riverine Flood Alert (Red Level), as river levels exceeded threshold levels and some overflowed their banks. Since additional rainfall was forecasted , river levels were expecected to remain elevated for the next several days.
On Friday, 19 October, the Piarco International Airport was closed for several hours as the weather made it impossible for aircraft to land, and the surrounding roadways were flooded. That same day, the ODPM issued Public Advisory #8 at 2031 hours, which alerted the TTRCS Disaster Management system of an ongoing life-threatening operation in the Greenvale Park community of La Horquetta, where residents were stranded on their roofs due to the rapid onset of floodwaters in a two-hour period.
On Saturday, 20 October a national newspaper described the floods as ?catastrophic'. (Trinidad Express 20.10.18), and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) advised that the main north-south highway was impassable; nevertheless, the country's president has not issued an official national disaster declaration in accordance with the Disaster Measures Act. The persistent rainfall has caused flooding in approximately 80 per cent of the country, primarily the north, east and central parts of the island nation such as Sangre Grande, Matelot, La Horquetta, St. Helena, Caroni and Mayaro. There are reports from the ODPM and CDEMA's Situation Report #1, (CDEMA, 22 Oct. 2018) of up 100,000 to 150,000 people impacted by the flooding. Additionally, official reports from ODPM and CDEMA indicate that 800 people are currently seeking shelter in collective centres; however, this number will fluctuate as people leave the centres to return home and begin the cleanup. |
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THIS DISASTER ON THE INTERNET:
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