By KARL E CUPID Tobago Bureau Saturday, October 4 2008

THE home of a pensioner at Mt Thomas in Tobago’s north-central region was completely destroyed, while the Lambeau Anglican Primary School, near Scarborough, suffered significant roof damage resulting in classes being suspended for the day, following gusty winds and thunder showers early yesterday morning.

There were also reports of fallen trees, downed power lines and flash flooding in the aftermath of the severe weather pattern, characterised by heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, lightning and thunder, which affected the island from about 6 am.

Up to late yesterday afternoon, no injuries were reported. At Mt Thomas, the one-bedroom wooden home of Ann Henry, who is in her late 60s, was blown completely off its foundation. The house, located near to the sea, miraculously landed amidst nearby trees where it remained stuck after the trees prevented it from crashing to the ground, residents reported.

NEMA Tobago reported yesterday afternoon that it had received some 23 reports of damage caused by the ‘strange’ bad weather event which mostly affected Tobago’s northern end at districts such as Charlotteville, L’Anse Fourmi, Parlatuvier, and in the Mt Thomas/Golden Lane/Culloden/Les Coteaux area. These included mainly destroyed or otherwise damaged roofs, as well as a few reports of fallen trees, power and telephone lines. Following electrical outages at Charlotteville and neighbouring districts, power was restored around midday. Other affected areas were Lambeau, Signal Hill, Mt Irvine, and Canaan/Bon Accord in the western end of the island, where some flooding was reported. NEMA Public Relations Officer Alex Browne said a number of emergency crews and other personnel - from the THA Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (DIPU), Social Services, Fire Services, NEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - had been deployed in the field to render assistance to home-owners and other persons in the affected areas.

TT can expect thunder showers today and tomorrow as it falls under the effect of a passing tropical wave and the modulating Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

This morning, there is a great chance of thunder showers accompanied by gusty winds and street and flash flooding, according to the Met Office. These effects are expected to begin by early morning and may continue for at least a few hours. These conditions will arise as the tropical wave passes over the twin island republic.

Tomorrow, the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has advised to expect similar conditions as the rear end of the tropical wave passes over. This system is expected to clear up by Monday, as the country is expected to experience generally fair weather conditions, with the occasional isolated shower.