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Barbados + 3 more

Situation Report 1 –Flood Event in Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Message: Early morning rains (April 12, 2011) cause flooding in Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Virgin Islands is monitoring the weather conditions.

Event:

The Meteorology Office has advised that a low level trough in the vicinity of the Southern Lesser Antilles is creating unstable weather conditions. This has led to torrential rains in the Windward Islands. CDEMA has received reports of flooding in some areas of Barbados, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Landslides have also been reported in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Impact and National Actions

Barbados:

The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) reported a flash flood event mainly in the northern parishes of St. Peter and St. Lucy.

Flood waters rose marooning persons in their homes and damaging furnishings and vehicles in the areas of Rose Hill, Collerton, and Gills Terrace and St. Peter.

The Barbados Defence Force was requested to render support. The DEM also deployed 3 officers to the affected areas to support damage assessment and coordination.

Grenada:

The National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) in Grenada has reported flooding and small landslides in Gouyave, St. John. One house has been partially destroyed and several homes flooded. The Balthazar River in St. Andrew has breached the bridge in that area.

Actions Taken

The Prime Minister toured the area earlier today (April 12, 2011) and the District Disaster Team along with the Deputy Disaster Coordinator and the Community Programme Officer are conducting assessments.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) reported early this morning that landslides had blocked the Windward highway at several points from Biabou up to Sandy Bay

The Mt. Young River, Sandy Bay River and other rivers in Georgetown had overflowed their banks and flooded a number of houses.

NEMO issued a public announcement and cautioned persons living in these areas to be vigilant.

Virgin Islands

The Department of Disaster Management issued a weather release alerting residents to the weather conditions and forecasts of the possibility of showers as the trough moves into the Territory.

DDM is encouraging persons to monitor the situation and to be prepared should the heavy showers approach their area. Persons in areas prone to flooding have been reminded to pay close attention for any sudden changes in weather conditions.

Regional Response

The CDEMA Coordinating Unit has been monitoring the situation and incoming reports.

Jeremy Collymore, Executive Director, CDEMA, has observed that “the impact that these weather conditions are having on the states emphasizes the fact that disaster management is not a seasonal activity. We must be prepared to deal with the diversity of hazard impacts at various levels especially at the localized level where these may not always gain immediate public visibility.”

The flood events that occurred today are being managed by the States. However, CDEMA will remain on the alert as the weather systems move across the island chain and provide updates if warranted.

The CDEMA 24 hour contact number is 246-425-0386