By DARCEL CHOY Saturday, August 4 2012

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BLOWN OFF: Sheets of twisted galvanise are seen outside the Savannah Villas gates community in Aranjuez after strong winds yesterday ripped off the ro...

THE Aranjuez Sports Club is in need of a new roof today after heavy winds ripped off its galvanise roof yesterday morning. Sheets of galvanise were seen strewn across the roadway near the Aranjuez Savannah and police had to direct traffic away from it.

When Newsday visited the club at the corner of Johnny King Road and the Aranjuez Main Road yesterday members were seen covering the exposed area with a blue tarpaulin.

Committee member, Anand Bann said he was in Port-of-Spain when he got a call at about 11.30 am the roof had blown off.

“I could not believe it because nothing like that has ever happened before so I rushed down to see what the damage really was”. He said the room where the roof blew off stored the club’s cricket score sheets and trophies. He added the members moved quickly to ensure nothing was damaged and stored the items in an adjoining room.

He explained the club was hosting a Ministry of Sport Youth camp for the past few weeks but it ended yesterday. “It so happened that today (yesterday) was the last day and they had a graduation ceremony at the Aranjuez Government Primary School which was great because the children are usually here around the time the incident occurred so we are really lucky that they weren’t here when this happened,” he said.

He noted for the club to get a new roof it would cost an estimated $500,000 and admitted they needed help as the club did not have the finances to fund it.

“We need financing or some kind of help from some authority because we have events coming up and we need a roof,” he said.

Bann said officials from the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation visited the area to assess the damage and the club’s president intended to contact the MP for the area Herbert Volney to seek assistance in getting a new roof.