By LARA PICKFORD-GORDON Monday, August 17 2009

Clean-up continued yesterday in areas falling under the purview of the San Juan/Laventille and Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporations following heavy showers which began on Thursday and continued over the weekend.

There were no further reports of flooding from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM). In a release on Saturday the ODPM said there were no reports of casualties as a result of heavy rains and flooding on Saturday. It said teams comprising Disaster Management Coordinators from the Municipalities together with workers from the Community Enhancement Protection Environment Programme (CEPEP) were in areas assisting with clean-up operations. The ODPM said it received no request for assistance.

In the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation parts of Barataria, San Juan, Upper Santa Cruz, Laventille, Morvant and Beetham Gardens were affected by floods. Landslides, fallen trees, slush, debris on roads and clogged drains were reported. Teams from the Corporation with backhoes and trucks were working with residents throughout the weekend in the clean-up exercise which began after Friday’s heavy showers. Cleaning continued yesterday at the Morvant Anglican and Barataria North Secondary Schools.

In a bulletin issued at 8 am yesterday, the Meteorological Service of TT reported that Tropical Storm Ana posed no threat to TT and the country was not under a tropical storm threat, watch or warning.

Ana was heading West with a speed of 32 km/hr and a gradual turn towards the West-Northwest was expected over a 24-hour period. This was projected to bring the centre of Ana near the Leeward Islands by today.

At its website the Met office forecast showers and isolated thundershowers for late afternoon and evening but stated that this should gradually dissipate “giving way to settled conditions by nightfall”.