Businesses and residences on the Eastern Main Road, Sangre Grande, were flooded on Tuesday night as receding waters from other areas flowed into the area.
Store owners told Newsday that water began to rise around 8 pm.
At Yufe's, workers said they came in about 10 pm to try to take up some of the fabric.
"We're doing some cleaning. We did have some damage to stock but it wasn't a lot, the water wasn't high like previous years. We're hoping to reopen to the public by Friday."
At KC Restaurant and Bar, the bartender said the water came halfway up the bar.
[caption id="attachment_1013085" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ovin Livert cleans the KC Restaurant and Bar on the Eastern Main Road, Sangre Grande on Wednesday after heavy rainfall on Tuesday caused it to flood. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]
"It's funny, no rain fell yesterday in Grande, it had fallen the night before, and where the Porsche was swimming, there went down and then the water started to rise here. In 2018, the water was over the bar."
On Adventist Street, Nazir Ali said he had worked up till 1 am to clean his house after the water began to go down after 9 pm.
"I decided to work late last night because I wasn't sure if WASA was going to take the water. I sanitized the whole place with bleach. Normally in April we get showers for the farmers, this rain was unexpected. It caught everyone off guard, even the authorities. We're hoping not to get another flood like this before the rainy season. When that starts in June, the expectations are different."
He appealed to the Regional Corporation to bring a load of sand and bags and leave them on the street, as usually flooding blocked them from collecting at the regular location. He said when this was done previously, the wrong location was chosen and the river washed away the sand when it flooded.
Ali said the corporation had been in the area a few weeks ago scoping out the bridge.
He said in the Fishing Pond area the river had been blocked and was only cleared late in the night.
"The Tamana water came down and Mario's, KFC, Republic Bank, all of them flooded out."
[caption id="attachment_1013084" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Nicole Ali looks at the river near her home on Mandillon Road, Sangre Grande, on Wednesday. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale[/caption]
In Fishing Pond on Oropouche Road, Jason Katwaroo and his family had packed all their salvageable belongings into a truck to move to the Toco Main Road. He said this was the second time their rented apartment had flooded out, the first time being last year.
"Everything got soaked down, all the furniture, the stove, washing machine, the mattress we have to dry it to lie down on it. We're moving out and not coming back, because how many times are we going to take losses? This is the first time we get water like this at this time of the year."
Katwaroo said he had not received any word from his landlord or any assistance from the regional corporation.
At Mandilon Road, sisters-in-law Nicole Ali and Nicole Eligon, who had