UNBELIEVABLE.

That was how Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim described the damage at the University of Trinidad and Tobago's (UTT) South Campus caused by the storm that swept in from the Gulf of Paria on Sunday afternoon.

Millions of dollars worth in damage was done to the facility's laboratories and roof, after only 90 minutes of rainfall accompanied by high winds and lightning.

Yesterday, Karim toured the five laboratories which were destroyed, along with a stock room and administrative office.

Electronic equipment was destroyed and will have to be replaced. Students will have to be relocated to other institutions and UTT campuses, as well as the University of the West Indies (UWI) while repairs are being done.

The campus announced late yesterday that it was being closed until further notice. The campus accommodates some 1,500 students.

Karim said the institution was insured and adjusters and insurance brokers visited the site to give an estimate cost of damage.

Karim said he was "somewhat grateful" that such an incident occurred at the beginning of the new semester rather than the end, when students will be writing examinations.

"It is unbelievable what we saw this morning as opposed from what one might see from outside...if you look at it from outside you would think it is just the roof that was peeled out and when you look at the water damage and infrastructural damage it is enormous," he said.

Campus manager Rennie Coolman said: "It is a catastrophe. Most of the equipment which are electronic in nature cannot be reused. It will have to be replaced and it will take at least two to four months before they are replaced."

A UTT press release stated the campus will be closed to students until tomorrow.

Tomorrow students will be informed by 2 p.m. of further news relating to the campus.

The storm triggered flash floods across the city and left a sink hole on Scott Street, similar to what occurred on the Beetham Highway at Sea Lots earlier this month.

The street, a main carriageway out of San Fernando, was blocked to accommodate assessments that needed to be done by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) and Ministry of Works.

The road blockage caused a huge traffic pile-up on Cipero Street and business owners complained of the lack of business.

San Fernando Mayor Navi Muradali said it would take days for the hole to be repaired and an assessment of all roads in the country needed to be done, especially the ones located in San Fernando.

Some of the areas affected in San Fernando include Lady Hailes Avenue, Tarouba, Bayshore Marabella, Scott and Rushworth Streets.

Some areas were flooded and roofs torn off or damaged by strong winds or falling trees.

Acting Fire Station Officer Christian Granado, from San Fernando Fire Station, said fire fighters got numerous calls for assistance.

At a service station on Pointe-a-Pierre Road, a falling tree damaged a parked panel van.