WITH clean-up still underway across Tobago following the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, the Tobago Emergency Agency (TEMA) spent most of mid-week assessing the damage caused to properties.
As of July 3, TEMA said it had received more than 200 reports of damage.
TEMA director Allan Stewart told Newsday Tobago that crews will remain on the ground as restoration work continues throughout the island but especially along the north side, which includes communities such as Mason Hall, Moriah, Castara, L’Anse Fourmi, Bloody Bay and Parlatuvier.
Stewart said, “We are currently at 220 reports. We are seeing residential reports happening now as people are making reports on how it (Hurricane Beryl) affected them in their dwellings.”
He said the reports, so far, surrounded damage caused by fallen trees or fallen utility poles.
He added that on Wednesday alone, 13 reports were made to the Tobago Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Task Force.
This task force, with officials from TEMA, the THA’s Division of Infrastructure, the Defense Force (TTDF), and the Division of Settlements, Public Utilities, and Rural Development, has been tasked with conducting assessment throughout the island of damage caused by Beryl.
The task force is also responsible for gathering information from affected residents so that this data can be channelled to the appropriate and relevant State and/or THA agencies for assistance.
Stewart said reports continue to be about land slippage and fallen trees.
He said TEMA is working to source materials to repair damaged structures as quickly as possible.
“Some have fell on residential properties. From the onset, we have been trying to clear some of those trees; we are working on clearing the trees on private properties.
“Seeing that the roadways are clear, that continues and the teams from the various engineers are outside there doing their damage assessments and needs analysis to determine how to rectify some of the homes; some of them are poor construction, deteriorated buildings that became susceptible to the winds and lost some of their roofs. So, the engineers are doing that currently; that is the major activity.”
He said they are also trying to get material to do some repairs to damaged roofs.
Damage to various utilities, he said, was 95 per cent rectified.
“I think all areas have been reconnected. There may be one or two persons – I know a lady in Mason Hall – who had a tree came down, pulling down her utility line in the process, so that needs to go through a process.
“Once that is disturbed sometimes it requires inspection and all of that kind of things before, they rejoin it, but T&TEC would have gone in and removed the power so that the crew could have done the cutting up of the tree.”
The latter part of it, he said, would be ensuring that the lines are in good order and the connection is well-stabled so that the inspectorate can do their job.
There is no blockage of any sort, he said.
In addition, schools in the area were also affected by the lack of el
