The East-West Corridor came to a virtual standstill yesterday as rivers burst their banks following heavy rains, creating havoc for thousands of residents and commuters.

Compounding the distress, a bridge on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway near the Johnson and Johnson factory collapsed late Monday night, which led to traffic being redirected by police, inconveniencing thousands more.

Several areas in the capital city resembled scenes from the popular movie Day After Tomorrow, as brown, slushy, debris-filled water took only seconds to flow onto the streets - in some areas even reaching as high as the windows of cars.

The flash flooding occurred during rush-hour traffic when many school children were being picked up or were walking to their various taxi stands. As a result of the flooded streets, both young and old were seen with shoes in hand hopping through the water in order to reach their destinations.

At the various taxi stands, people crowded the sidewalks and streets standing in the rain - some holding umbrellas, others without - which finally eased around 4 p.m. By that time, the flood waters had subsided in some parts of the city, leaving inches of slush behind. But the dirt made it dangerous for walking, as many found it difficult to keep their balance on the slippery surface. Some, however, took the chance and some even walked out of the capital in desperation to get home.

As the hours went by the traffic situation only got worse, as reports of flooding in the East-West Corridor came in. A major landslide on the Lady Young Road in Morvant only added to the traffic congestion. (See other story) Police and fire officers were out in their numbers on foot, in vehicles and on bikes trying to assist. The Police Service also sought the assistance of the media to advise persons entering or leaving the city to wait for an hour to two before heading home, until the flood waters had subsided and the traffic congestion had eased.

To those who were caught in the traffic snarled along the Beetham Highway, things got worse, as bandits from the Beetham Gardens reportedly preyed on motorists and passengers alike. This prompted a response from the police.

Last night many commuters were still at City Gate, Port of Spain, and at the various taxi stands, waiting for transportation to go home.

At 6.30 p.m., the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) issued a statement alerting citizens that more rain was expected last night

’Persons are advised to be vigilant as more rains are expected and we are entering into the night fall. Persons are reminded to be prepared to move to higher ground if floods waters begin to rise,’ the statement said.

This was supported by the Meteorological Services of Trinidad and Tobago, which said isolated thunder showers were expected last night into today.

Paul Saunders, chief executive officer of the ODPM, told the Express the first emergency crews were activated in light of the situation. He said many distress calls of flooding and landslides were being received by the ODPM’s National Emergency Operations Centre.

He said the problem extended throughout the entire east west corridor.

’The soil has been saturated and we can expect landslides to continue we have had a fair amount of rainfall over the last few days,’ he said.

The Express contacted National Security Minister Martin Joseph yesterday evening, but he said he was about to resume his place in the Senate and was not able to speak.

Port of Spain Mayor Murchison Brown yesterday blamed dumping of garbage in water courses and deforestation for the massive flash flooding in downtown Port of Spain.

’The East Dry River burst its bank. But the flooding is also a result of what is happening on the hillside and the indiscriminate dumping in the main water courses,’ Brown told the Express.

’There is no vegetation to hold the water, that is why there is more water coming downstream.’

He added that there are two pumps located on Abattoir Road, which, when turned on, move water out of the city. However, he said the pumps, which are operated by the Ministry of Works and Transport, were not turned on yesterday.

The Express was unable to contact Works Minister Colm Imbert on this.