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Black Facts for November 11th

2022 - Floods distress families in Penal/ Debe - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Although the heavy rains had stopped on Thursday, flood waters continued to rise in the Penal, Debe, and Woodland, cutting off communities and distressing many families.

At Molly Street, Debe, residents said they began putting sandbags on the roadside at the front of their homes on Wednesday night. The efforts were not enough to save them from flooding. The road is near the bank of the South Oropouche River.

Water from a river to the back of their homes flooded the streets. Almost all the houses along the road were surrounded by murky water.

[caption id="attachment_985134" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Families at Molly Street, Debe, cook outside while waiting for floods to recede on Thursday. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]

A member of the Marcano family of Venezuela told Newsday that around 1 am on Thursday, the family tried to save a couch set from the flood waters. They put the set on top of the roof, but rain fell early and wet it.

The Nowrang family said water flooded their homes on Wednesday night within minutes. A total of ten relatives, including four children, live in two houses that are joined.

The family complained about the water being rat-invested. The children spent the night in cars in the driveway. Neil Nowrang and other relatives tried to save toys and other items by putting them on the rooftop.

[caption id="attachment_985135" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of the homes at Molly Street, Debe, which was still surrounded by floodwater on Thursday. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]

With their homes flooded and items destroyed, the family pitched a tent in the yard and began cooking outdoors.

"We do not have money to buy food for everyone, so we are cooking. Things are hard right now. My brother recently lost his work and has two children to take care of. We would be happy to get help from anyone. No one has helped us with anything," a relative said.

Livestock farmer Vinod Lutchman said he, his brother Anil, and other relatives have been monitoring the water level since Wednesday evening.

Lutchman said, "Around 1 am, I got up and saw water all over. My brother took all the children from the house to a relative and left them there. I mind ducks and pigs. Last week we had a flood, and I lost eight piglets. The water got in the pen and drowned them."

The Keith Khan family was not able to sleep on Wednesday night.

"Nobody slept last night. We put many items on higher ground, but the water keeps rising. We have ducks and chickens at the back, but we cannot go to feed them. This water would take about three to four days to go down and no one is helping us," a family member said.

The Penal Debe Regional Corporation’s disaster management unit (DMU) visited several affected residents.

[caption id="attachment_985136" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A family in Debe on Thursday. - Marvin Hamilton[/caption]

Part of Debe Trace, Debe, which connects to Suchit Trace, Penal, was impassable. Puzzle Is

2023 - PM: Trinidad and Tobago will not be spared from 'dark clouds of war' - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

THE Prime Minister warned that TT will not be spared from the dark clouds of war and other evils which threaten the world today.

Dr Rowley said this is why it is important to shine a light to illuminate the darkness which threatens to engulf a troubled world.

He made these observations in his Divali message to the nation.

"In recent times, there was the feeling among many persons - myself included - that there were signs, at last, that gave us hope for greater human understanding, comity, and long-lasting peace."

That hope, Rowley continued, naively rested with the hope that ushering in of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, would help man overcome his fatal flaw of irrationality.

He citied artificial intelligence, creating advances in areas such as quantum computing, genetic engineering, robotics and space exploration were supposed to herald the continued cognitive development of the human race.

But Rowley observed this did not happen over the last two years.

Referring to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts, he said, "The world has been under many dark clouds of war and inhumanity on a scale unanticipated in modern times."

Rowley warned that TT will not be spared from this darkness.

"So, as citizens, be warned that the gruesome effects of these occurrences will reach our land, in some form."

In a world where so many dark clouds are gathering, Rowley said the message of light over darkness which lies at the core of Divali, takes on greater significance.

"Its essence looms large, holding a universal appeal to every human being, regardless of his or her religious affiliation, ethnicity or geographical location on this planet."

Rowley said, "The light of Divali reminds us of our positive qualities, our potential for a bright future and that we are all God's people."

The message of Divali, he continued, " takes us on an enlightened journey, warning of such dangers as tribal and cultural wars, which are now prominent on the international agenda, urging that we replace those wars with our inherent love - seeing God in every person's face, regardless of ethnic differences."

Rowley said,"The message of light over darkness provides an answer, also providing other deep, meaningful questions about ourselves."

He urged citizens to heed this message.

"It asks that we pause, refine our spiritual understanding of ourselves, and keep searching for oneness with our God."

Rowley said Divali can no longer be looked upon as an insular activity or an event confined to only a particular community or just the Hindu faith.

"In fact, one can sense the growing realisation that the essential message of Divali is extending to each and every one of us, as citizens, and as human beings."

The post PM: Trinidad and Tobago will not be spared from 'dark clouds of war' appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.