ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada--Two out of Grenada’s six parishes were on Thursday declared disaster zones, following damage caused by flooding earlier this week.
Damage to houses and the agricultural sector are still being fully assessed, but the National Emergency Advisory Council (NEAC) declared the parishes of St. George and St. David disaster zones after an initial assessment.
And even as a full assessment of all the damage continues, residents have been warned that another tropical wave is approaching the island and could bring more flooding this weekend.
A tropical wave interacted with the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone on Wednesday and brought heavy rains to Grenada for more than seven hours, causing landslides, flooding homes and flooding and blocking roadways. Some residents had to be relocated; the St. John River overflowed, flooding the nearby National Stadium which sustained damage to its ground floor, prompting a one-week postponement of Junior Carnival which had been scheduled for Saturday; and the Ministry of Forestry had to be relocated.
A preliminary report from the Ministry of Works indicated that all main roads are now accessible and cleaning works continue.
But as the clean-up continues, the National Disaster Management Agency NaDMA with the technical assistance of the Meteorological Office at the Maurice Bishop International Airport is monitoring a second tropical wave that is expected to affect Grenada and its dependencies this weekend.
According to the weather outlook provided by the Meteorological Office, the wave is moving west at 10 to 15 knots and abundant Saharan dry air/dust prevails in the wave’s environment inhibiting convection at this time.
“However, model guidance is indicating the potential for convective development and significant precipitation by Friday night into Saturday. By that time, the wave is expected to be propagating across the Lesser Antilles (Grenada included),” NaDMA said in a statement.
“The country can expect showery activity and isolated thundershowers likely to affect the tri-island state on Saturday. It is important to note that given the current state of the soil after Wednesday’s heavy rains, the possibility of flooding is even higher with the expected tropical wave approaching.”
However, NaDMA stressed the island is not under tropical cyclone watch or warning.
It has urged residents to be vigilant and activate emergency plans for their homes and businesses. ~ Caribbean360 ~
