The Caroni River has breached its banks at La Paille Settlement, the second time in just under six months. This breach comes after four days of heavy rainfall across Trinidad and Tobago.
According to residents of La Paille, water started coming over the bank just before 9:00 PM and began flowing into the settlement that is located south of the Caroni River.
Mitra Ramnath, a resident of neighboring Caroni Village, which experienced street flooding on Wednesday, explained that this is the same location that was breached in November 2022, where 40 households were flooded.
He explained that residents from the November-December 2022 floods who were affected lost everything, yet no promised assistance from the government has been distributed to date.
All major roadways, including the Southern Main Road and Uriah Butler Highway, remain flood free, clear, and passable as flooding from the Caroni River remains confined to this area.
There are no Riverine or Adverse Weather Alerts, Watches, or Warnings in effect from the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service at this time. However, residents of La Paille Settlement should be taking action to protect life, livelihoods, and property immediately.
As water runs off from Wednesday evening rains across northern Trinidad, further rising water is likely, with high tide ongoing, beginning at 10:08 PM Wednesday and the next low tide at 2:50 AM Thursday. The next high tide is at 8:43 AM Thursday.
Why did the Caroni River overtop?
On Wednesday, the country received another round of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms, with the northern half of Trinidad receiving the brunt of the rainfall. Between 30 and 75 millimeters were recorded from as far west as Chagauaramas to as far east as Coalmine. Further south, less than 15 millimeters were recorded. However, a significant amount of rain fell within the Caroni River Basin catchment area on Wednesday, with rainfall totals between 40 and 75 millimeters, most of which fell on saturated soils.
Within four days, the Caroni River basin, at least where weather stations are present, received upwards of 100 millimeters of rainfall, with some areas recording upwards of 200 millimeters of rainfall. Most of this rain fell between April 25th and April 26th, resulting in high runoffs in a short span.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
