2018 Trinidad and Tobago floods
| Date | October 19, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Location | Trinidad and Tobago |
The 2018 Trinidad and Tobago floods were a series of over-bank floods and flash-floods occurring in the twin-island Caribbean nation, Trinidad and Tobago. These events followed consistent rainfall on Friday 19 October 2018 and intermittent rainfall on Saturday 20 October 2018. Rivers in Caroni, Diego Martin and Maraval breached their banks. Several communities were evacuated as homes and vehicles were flooded; many areas were inaccessible. Flooding along the Caroni Plain caused the submersion of a major part of the Uriah Butler Highway.[1] The south-bound lane of this highway was temporarily closed to vehicular traffic. The north-bound lane was temporarily used for two-way traffic, permitting only large SUVs and heavy-T vehicles. Flight services out of Piarco International Airport were temporarily disrupted.
Rainfall and Met Office warnings[edit]
Consistent rainfall persisted throughout the day on Friday 19 October 2018. Trinidad and Tobago is located on the band of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), making it prone to over-bank river flooding, flash flooding, and landslides following extreme and erratic rainfall. The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) upgraded the Riverine Flood Alert level from orange to red.[2] Citizens were advised then to secure themselves and their property and execute emergency evacuation procedures.[2]
Flooded roads and highways[edit]
The following table (incomplete) shows some of the roadways and highways that were affected.[3]
| ROADWAY | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Ann Avenue (Vicinity of Diego Martin) | Flooding Reported |
| Arima Blanchisseuse Road | Trees Fallen. |
| Bassie street (Vicinity of Valsayn) | Partially Flooded |
| Caroni Southbank Road | Flooded |
| Cunapo Southern Road | Landslips. Road blocked at some points. Flooding in some areas. |
| Diego Martin Main Road | Partially Flooded |
| Dookiesingh Street (Vicinity of St Augustine) | Partially Flooded |
| Eastern Main Road (Vicinity of Manzanilla) | Previously Flooded. |
| Eastern Main Road (Vicinity of Sangre Grande) | Previously Flooded. |
| Garnet Road, between Emerald Drive and Gopaul Avenue (Vicinity of Diego Martin) | Flooding Reported |
| Golden Grove Road (Vicinity of Piarco International Airport) | Flooded |
| Heights of Aripo | Five landslips. |
| Kiskadee Walk (Vicinity of River Estate, Diego Martin) | Flooding Reported |
| Madras Road (Vicinity of St. Helena) | Flooded[4] |
| North Coast Road | Fallen Trees and Landslips. |
| North Oropouche Road and Fishing Pond Road | Flooding subsiding |
| Northpost Road (Vicinity of Diego Martin) | Partially Flooded |
| Paria Road | Landslips cleared from 55km to 61km. |
| Piarco Bypass Road | Flooded |
| Saddle Road (Vicinity of Maraval) | Flooding Reported |
| Sinai Street (Vicinity of Diego Martin) | Flooding Reported |
| Sienna Leone Road (Vicinity of Diego Martin) | Flooding Reported |
| Trantrill Road (Vicinity of St Augustine & Caroni) | Flooded |
| Uriah Butler Highway (Vicinity of Caroni) North-bound lane | Partially Flooded. |
| Uriah Butler Highway (Vicinity of Caroni) South-bound lane | Completely Flooded. |
| Warrenville Road (Vicinity of Cunupia) | Flooded |
| Washington Junction to Warren Road | Flooded |
Landslides and landslips[edit]
The following table shows a list (not yet complete) of landslides/landslips that have occurred.[5]
| Where | Vicinity |
|---|---|
| Second Trace | Bagatelle |
| Big Yard | Carenage |
| Seaview Gardens | Carenage |
| Upper Quarry Street | Covigne Richplain |
| Northpost Road | Diego Martin |
| Celestine Trace, Moka Boisse No II | Maraval |
| Faustin Trace, Moka Boisse No II | Maraval |
| La Sieva, Moka Boisse No II | Maraval |
| Moraldo Street, Moka Boisse No II | Maraval |
| Phillip Trace, Le Platte Village | Maraval |
References[edit]
- ^ "Uriah Butler Highway still impassable". Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- ^ a b "Met Office: Riverine Flood Alert updated to red level". www.looptt.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- ^ "Uriah Butler Highway still impassable". Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- ^ "ST HELENA FLOODING". Caribbean Communications Network. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
- ^ "Watch: Flooding, landslides reported in West Trinidad". www.looptt.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.