Severe flooding in Grenada

A fast-developing weather system on Tuesday battered Trinidad and parts of the Eastern Caribbean, causing severe flooding and landslides, forcing the early closure of schools and state offices in Grenada and flash flooding in Trinidad.

Meteorological officials in Guyana and Suriname also complained about the speed at which the system developed as it dumped torrents of rain on the two continental nations causing minimal damage.

Of those affected by heavy rains, Grenada appeared to have feared the worst with dozens of roads rendered inaccessible, vehicles swept away by fast moving mud and debris-filled waters swept through residential and commercial areas.There has been one reported death in St. George’s.

Acting quickly, authorities appealed to parents to get their children from state and private schools while government officers shuttered as it dumped several inches on the island. Authorities say that Tuesday’s downpours must have been the worst in decades as the national stadium was inundated for the first time with water making in onto the playing area and completely flooding the car park, affecting about 40 vehicles.

“This is the worst we have ever seen,” said Manager Patrick Lousion as he spoke to local media. “We are not accustomed to the car park being flooded, the field being flooded. Now we are seeing that happening.”

He said that the day after the 2021 episode the stadium field was dry enough to allow for a T/20 game between The West Indies and South Africa.

Residents in several parishes lost power as crews from Grenlec, the state-owned power company, worked to restore electricity to affected areas.In neighboring Trinidad, meanwhile, the nation appeared to have also been caught off guard by the mini storm as it toppled trees, ripped off roofs and triggered flash flooding.

Weather officials linked the unusual heavy rains at this time of year in the general region including Guyana and Suriname to an Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone affecting mostly the Southern and near Eastern Caribbean as the annual storm season comes to a close at the end of November.

Grenadian officials also reported that thousands in nearly all seven parishes are without water up to early Wednesday as the authority worked feverishly to restore services.

“Due to a landslide, a damaged main is currently affecting water service to the areas of Belle Isle, Content, Coals Gap, La Sagesse, and surrounding communities in St. David. We are unable to provide a timeline for when service will be fully restored,” the agency said, noting that due to ongoing heavy rainfall, additional water systems have been impacted by dam blockages and high turbidity, further affecting our service delivery. Due to current conditions, we are unable to provide a timeline for restoration at this time. As soon as it is safe for our teams to access and assess the impacted areas, we will initiate restoration efforts.”

Telecommunication service provider Flow also blamed the weather for service disruption.