Skip to main content

rainy season rain



I must say with all the extreme weather happening around the world we on the Rock are experiencing yet another ordinary, regular ole rainy season. Yes, we will have the troughs, the systems, the waves, all part of the season. Coming on the heels of heavy rain is the annual affair of flooding. This time it seems that the rain has returned to the northern part of the island with a vengeance. Pelting rain for two consistent days and the poor people of the north flooded out again and then again. This was obviously part of the reason that when the Ag. AG ventured into his Constituency today not all the residents were happy to see him. One or two became a bit overwhelmed with the fact that a high official had taken the time to visit with them and proceded to soak him down with the flood water. I do not for a minute condone this type of behavior but after being flooded out twice in as many days one may be a bit frustrated. The fact that the MP was the then Ag. AG may have been overlooked at least for that brief moment. The Ag. AG's comments later on the 7.00pm news I thought a bit unfortunate, as one who has experienced first hand the total destruction that flooding brings with it may not like being referred to as an 'idiot'.
Just like pipe borne water has certain definite elements to it that must be in place for a population to receive a 24/7 supply of potable water flooding has it's own. You cannot expect clogged waterways, garbage strewn drains, blocked rivers, silted up river mouths, no drainage, busted culverts, non-functioning drainage pumps, and a host of other reasons and still have good drainage which would prevent flooding.
People have to be educated, generations have to be educated, broken infrastructure has to be fixed permanently, drainage systems across the Rock have to be reassessed and re-engineered if proven inadequate. Where we live in the Moka Valley, a former citrus estate, there was a spillway instead of a bridge. After further development, this was replaced with a proper bridge. My point is that after years of urban development and sprawl the original drainage systems are not adequate for the runoff and therefore it must be upgraded. Therefore it is not a case of only 'idiots' throwing rubbish into the streets and drains it is the responsibility of Town and Country Planning, Regional Corporations, Ministry of Works to ensure that the drainage is more than adequate. If the systems cannot accommodate rainy season rain then what is going to happen to us in a one in a 50 yr storm? A lot of people being very angry at their MP's.

I am not sure why but we seem to have an obsession with boats. I have seen such vigor and purpose dealing with boats. From captain to cook, everybody is all of a sudden an expert. The one group of people we are not hearing from are the experts. We have had a very checkered past when it comes to the purchasing of marine craft and so the status quo continues. I have always maintained that if you cannot see below the water line then you should not be involved in buying anything marine, there are more than enough experts to deal with that. Each to his own! Remember there are pirates still out there!

Tonight's listening playlist is of course none other than the great Aretha Franklin. Wonderful memories of her powerful voice, soulful, and a great performer. Hope she pulls through!

Tomorrow's forecast calls for very little rain, 10% precipitation.  Let's hope so, people need to get back to their regular routine. A little historical trivia, in August 1851 Trinidad averaged 16.81 inches of rainfall. That equates to 420mm, that was a thirteen year high at the time. Word of advice to MP's, sometimes it's best that you tour your constituency before the rains start, identify the areas of concern and make every attempt to have the situation rectified. Rainy season rain will always bring out the best in people!

Good night fellow citizens of the Great Rock, sleep well tonight, secure your raft and good luck!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Peace and quiet

When you hear the words 'perfect' or 'the best' it makes you feel like a million dollars. Human nature is weird, a simple compliment can turn a whole story into a week of joy! And, yes, I am speaking about the Sunday night popcorn! Apparently, tonight was exceptional. I hope the rest of the week translates into 'perfect'. The horrible news of the deaths of two cyclists over the weekend came as a real shock. We both know a number of people who cycle for good weekend sport and to hear of Joe Brown being killed in an accident was truly heart-rending. When we heard of the accident we started to think of all the people we know who cycle and just hoped it might be somebody we did not know. Is this how it works, you hope that it's not someone you know, what about all the people who actually know the person? Truly a sad day! RIP Joe and Joanna! The issue of cycling and motorists is one that every country I am sure goes through. Is it that the main roads are for...
Post a Comment
Read more

R&R

We had two of the four grands spend the weekend with us whilst the parents went off to the North Coast for some rest and relaxation. From all reports, the sojourn was well spent with both singing the praises of our North Coast, no beach, just R&R. We are ten minutes from the coast and I hate to admit it but it is rare that we venture north. One of the selling points of coming to live in the wilds of Maraval in 1983 was the fact that Maracas Bay was a mere 30 mins away. Maracas could have been next door it did not matter, we just do not do it. Having grandchildren I think puts you in a very different place. When our kids were growing up we were struggling with building a business from scratch, living off of a teachers salary, impossible then as it is now, and generally ketching. But as it is with all things in life we survived. Looking back at those years it was difficult, kids, dogs, mortgage and other loans, but you knew why you were putting yourself through all this hard...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Teacher Lucy'

May Day is significant both as a spring festival in the northern climes and of course as the International Labor Day. The latter was started in the 19th century by the communists and socialists and strangely enough in commemoration of an event in Chicago. May 1st on the Rock is just that May 1st. Within recent times a couple trade unions have recognized the day but our big labor celebration is on another day. On the Rock, you get to celebrate Labor Day twice and get paid for it. The dreaded SEA examine is happening this week and if you somehow forgot one is reminded by the number of photo-ops taken by persons of import. These persons visit schools hand out 'SEA packs' (consisting of pens, pencils and other trinkets), call for all God's best wishes on the poor children and to me scare the hell out of these kids who are about to sit an exam that will mark them forever. The SEA is as bad as it gets and to further stress the kids is simply not something that should ...
Post a Comment
Read more