Trinidad and Tobago hit by flash flooding, streets, roads blocked

 Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad and Tobago were hit by flooding, severe thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall on Tuesday, bringing a standstill situation on the roads. The excessive water caused a massive blockage on the streets, making it tough for people to commute from one place to another.

The Churchill Roosevelt Highway has been blocked by the water and the highway and main road in Pasea also became flooded due to heavy rainfall. The parts of the Port of Spain and west of Trinidad and Tobago have also been affected by the flood situation, causing disruption for the commuters.

It was the second time in two weeks that these areas were severely hit by flooding, causing entire blockage of the road and the streets. The traffic heading east on the Highway was brought to a standstill as people were unable to find any way out.

The Met Service asked the residents to adopt a cautious approach and stated that this was due to the potential passage of the tropical wave.

Residents of these areas expressed concerns over the situation and said that they are unable to move even from one house to another. One added,” This is quite tough as the flood almost stopped their routine life and disrupted our several works as we are unable to come out of home and travel by cars or any other vehicles.”

Another added,” Roads have been filled with excessive water and even our homes are getting flooded water which is dangerous for livelihoods and health.”

One also criticized the government for neglecting the situation and noted,” Hundreds of millions spent to prevent flooding every year and every year the problem getting worse, that highway never flooded before a few years ago, take the failure you continue to vote for”

As the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season began on June 1, 2024, the first named Tropical Storm Alberto started forming across the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm warnings have been issued for the countries around Mexico as the flooding and severe rainfall have been impacting the entire area.

In addition to that, St Vincent and the Grenadines are likely to experience brief showers and unstable weather conditions within the next 24 hours due to the expected passage of the Tropical Wave.

According to the Met Service, the unstable conditions could also trigger a few scattered showers and there are chances of slight to moderate rainfall in open water.

Earlier, the flash flood watch was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and St Kitts and Nevis due to the penetration of the tropical wave.