Rare Tornado Strikes Western Trinidad, Dozens Displaced
Dozens are without electricity, and many have been displaced after severe weather activity produced a rare tornado, which led to structural damage, blown-off roofs, and flooding in parts of western Trinidad on Tuesday.
Cherry Crescent, Rowland Road, Westland Avenue, and St Anthony’s Drive are some of the areas affected in Westmoorings.
The incident forced many to vacate their homes due to the severe damage.
One resident, McArthur Marquez, described the moment he witnessed his neighbour’s roof being blown off as the tornado ripped through the area around midday.
« Well, when the breeze started to blow, I came out in front here because I said, where did this breeze come from? And I was able to see that the whole roof just started to shake. I think Almighty God was with me today because what I saw there is something that I wouldn’t like to experience again. It was real frightening. You know what I mean? Real, real frightening. »
Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, Khadijah Ameen, was on the ground visiting the victims.
« Some houses, the entire roof was ripped off. Some houses were damaged from debris flying in the wind. Thankfully, we have not had any injuries to persons. So we will continue to visit. I am here with our disaster management team. Field officers will be doing assessments to determine any. In terms of the damages, we have damages to the infrastructure but also damages to furniture and appliances. »
Minister Ameen confirmed that there was also damage to electricity infrastructure.
« T&TEC initially shut off electricity in the entire area. They have now been able to isolate the affected streets, and electricity has been restored to the main. So even areas as far as Morne Coco and so on that were affected, electricity is now restored. What we are also doing is together with the fire services, visiting each household to advise people if it’s safe to turn on electricity. Because they lost their entire roof, some of them, the entire structure is soaked. So even if they want to turn on electricity to use a power washer, for example, or to close their gate, which might be electronic, it may not be advisable to do so. »
She described the incident as traumatic: « We have met children who are at home alone, elderly persons, an elderly 90-year-old woman. So for most families, of course, it is a very traumatic experience. So we are here giving them that support. »
Also at the scene was Senior Disaster Management Coordinator at the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, Jerry David, who urged citizens to secure their properties.
« I want to remind the country during these times, secure your roofs. Make sure that tree that is near the house, you trim that tree because anytime there’s high winds, it’s going to break the branches. The branches are going to fall on the homes and it’s going to destroy the roof and sometimes, inadvertently, people will be damaged. »
