According to the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), we can expect partly cloudy to cloudy conditions today (Wednesday 31st May 2023), with occasional light to moderate showers. There is the medium (40% - 60%) chance of isolated heavy showers/thunderstorms. This evening and tonight will be settled despite a few showers developing after Midnight.

The Met Office notes that gusty winds and street/flash flooding are likely near heavy downpours.

The forecast maximum temperature today will be 31°C at both Piarco in Trinidad and Crown Point in Tobago.

Seas are slight to moderate with waves up to 1.5m in open waters and 0.1m to 0.5m in sheltered areas.

A 36-year-old Sangre Grande man, who pleaded guilty to a gun possession charge on Monday morning (29th May 2023), was fined $15,000 by a Sangre Grande Magistrate. Leon Gibson was given six (6) months to pay the fine or serve three (3) years’ hard labour in default, by Senior Magistrate Cheron Raphael.

Gibson was charged with possession of a Beretta .380 pistol on 26th May 2023 by PC West of the Eastern Division Task Force Area West (EDTFAW), following his arrest during a raid last week.

According to Police reports, on the afternoon of 26th May 2023, EDTFAW executed a raid at the suspect’s Railway Road, Sangre Grande home as part of a crime suppression exercise, where they found and seized the firearm.

Gibson was immediately arrested pending further enquiries.

The exercise was headed by Sgt. Bhim and Cpl. (Ag.) Nanhoo, of the EDTFAW, with assistance from the Crime and Problem Analysis Branch.

A Po­lice Of­fi­cer is dead following a car crash in Barataria early this morn­ing (Tuesday 30th May 2023). The deceased has been identified as 26-year-old PC Tris­ton Williams.

According to reports, PC Williams was dri­ving his Nissan Tiida motor car East along the Beetham High­way around 6:15 AM, when he crashed in­to a util­i­ty pole near VM­COTT. The ve­hi­cle was said to have split in­to two (2) up­on im­pact and both of the victim’s legs were sev­ered.

​Fire Officers used hy­draulic pow­er tools to extract McWilliams from the mangled wreckage. At the time, he was still alive. How­ev­er, he succumbed to his injuries while be­ing trans­port­ed to the Port-of-Spain Gen­er­al Hos­pi­tal.

Williams was last as­signed to the In­ter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

In­ves­ti­ga­tions are con­tin­u­ing.

​[Source: T&T Guardian]

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), the first half of the 2023 Wet Season, June-July-August, is most likely to be as wet as usual with pockets of wetter than usual areas, especially in Western Trinidad, while the rest of the Season is likely to be wet as usual with drier than usual pockets developing over Trinidad. The Met Office notes that the potential for flooding is high.

Normal to below-normal number of heavy and extremely heavy rainfall days, 3-day and 5-day wet spells are likely. Flood potential is high for known flood-prone areas and normal for emerging flood-prone areas. Citizens are urged to accelerate preparations.

The Met Office states that both day and night temperatures are expected to be warmer than average over Western Trinidad and Tobago. Normal to above-normal hot days (maximum temperatures ≥ 34°C) and one (1) to four (4) short-duration hot spells (5 or more consecutive hot days) and heat surges (3 consecutive hot days) are likely. Cities and urban areas are likely to get the most intense heat.

An outlook with increased chances for wet as-usual conditions still suggests:

• Elevated risks of heavy rainfall days and prolonged wet periods.
• Heightened concerns exist for persons in occasionally flooded and flood-prone areas.

Hotter than average maximum day and night temperatures in Western parts of Trinidad and Tobago suggest:

• Heightened concerns for persons with heat-sensitive ailments, vulnerable persons exposed to excessive heat, and heat stress in livestock and other animals, as well as in young and transplanted crops.

The Met Office officially declared the start of the 2023 Wet Season for Trinidad and Tobago on Friday (26th May 2023). Our Wet Season is marked by measurable rainfall (≥ 0.1mm) produced by a Tropical Wave and/or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), both of which are the main weather-producing features of Trinidad and Tobago's Wet Season.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is fast approaching and set to begin on 1st June 2023.

The Met Office is reminding citizens that now is a good time to review your emergency plans. Do not wait until an Alert, Watch or Warning is issued to get prepared.

[Source: TTMS]

A rescue operation in a forested area in Sangre Grande yesterday (Monday 29th May 2023) by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT), resulted in the safe recovery of 2-year-old Umar Ali. The child un­der­went med­ical treat­ment at the San­gre Grande Hos­pi­tal up to late last night.

According to reports, some­one from the area called Po­lice and tipped them off on the where­abouts of the sus­pect and child. Officers then no­ti­fied the HSRT, led by Sham­sudeen Ayube, and met up with them and trekked about 300 feet in­to the for­est off Barkar Trace, to conduct their search. They lat­er found Umar alone, sit­ting in a ham­mock un­der a makeshift tent in the bush. Po­lice said last evening that the sus­pect re­mains at large and is now be­lieved to be hid­ing deep in the forest. He allegedly aban­doned Umar in the bush when he realized Po­lice and a search team were clos­ing in on his lo­cation.

The child’s 18-year-old moth­er, Adee­ba, con­firmed to Guardian Me­dia that she was con­tact­ed by Po­lice some­time af­ter 4:00 PM and told that her child had been found, hav­ing been aban­doned by the sus­pect.

Speak­ing with Guardian Me­dia last evening in a tele­phone in­ter­view while at the San­gre Grande Po­lice Sta­tion, the child’s un­cle, Habib Ali, said they were told that Po­lice re­ceived a tip-off that the sus­pect and the child were in a forest­ed area off Barkar Trace, near where the sus­pect lives.

“They found Umar sit­ting in a ham­mock un­der a makeshift tent in the bush. They didn’t find the sus­pect be­cause it look like when he hear the Po­lice and hunters com­ing in, he fled deep­er in­to the forest­ed area, leav­ing the child be­hind. Umar was res­cued and tak­en to the San­gre Grande Po­lice Sta­tion, where his mom and I went and met the Po­lice to fill out some pa­per­work,” a re­lieved Habib said.

“Af­ter that, they will take us to­geth­er with the child to the Hos­pi­tal for a thor­ough med­ical ex­am­i­na­tion to check to see if there are any in­juries and oth­er things they’d be look­ing for I guess,” he added.

Umar was abducted while sleeping a week ago, on 23rd May 2023, by a close male rel­a­tive from his home in San­gre Grande. According to reports, the suspect broke in­to their home at Quash Trace, San­gre Grande, and took the sleep­ing child around 2:00 AM. He was re­port­ed miss­ing to their lo­cal Po­lice on the same day.

​The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) issued a Media Release last week, seeking the public’s assistance in locating the missing child.
​
More on this as it becomes available.

​This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

[Source: T&T Guardian]

According to the mother of 2-year-old Umar Ali, her son has been found and is currently un­der­go­ing med­ical treat­ment at the San­gre Grande Hos­pi­tal. The child’s 18-year-old moth­er, Adee­ba, con­firmed the news to Guardian Me­dia a short while ago this evening (Monday 29th May 2023). She said she was con­tact­ed by Po­lice sometime after 4:00 PM and told that her child has been found and is now at the Hos­pi­tal.

“We are now go­ing there so we don’t have any de­tails as yet,” Adee­ba’s broth­er, Habib, said.

2-year-old Umar was abducted while sleeping a week ago, on 23rd May 2023, by a close male rel­a­tive from his home in San­gre Grande. According to reports, the suspect broke in­to their home at Quash Trace, San­gre Grande, and took the sleep­ing child around 2:00 AM. He was re­port­ed miss­ing to their lo­cal Po­lice on the same day. There has been no word since then on the where­abouts of the suspect and the child, until this evening.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) issued a Media Release last week, seeking the public’s assistance in locating the missing child.

​More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

​[Source: T&T Guardian]

The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is advising citizens of planned maintenance work which will affect several areas of Chase Village, Central Trinidad, on Thursday (1st June 2023). This may result in loss of electricity between the hours of works.

According to T&TEC, the affected areas in Chase Village are as follows:

• From LP #15 (in the vicinity of Chaguanas East Substation) heading South up to LP #543 on Southern Main Road, Chase Village, including Sunflower Drive, Tamaran Street, Edinburgh Gardens, Ghany Street, Chandernagore Road and Limehead Road and all associated side streets - 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

T&TEC says it regrets the inconvenience which may be caused by these interruptions.

The Ministry of Works and Transport is advising the public that there will be a temporary traffic disruption along Eastern Main Road, Mt. Dor Road to Bushe Street, San Juan. This disruption will take place from today (Monday 29th May 2023) until Thursday 15th June 2023. This has become necessary to facilitate road rehabilitation works.

Hours of Work: 8:00 PM - 4:00 AM

Considering the above, motorists are advised to comply with the following:

• Proceed with caution and observe all directional signs and barriers.
• Comply with instructions from Police Officers on-site to facilitate a safe and orderly flow of traffic.
• Be aware of heavy equipment entering and exiting the site.
• Drive with caution on all milled (possibly uneven) surfaces.
• Drive at a reduced speed on approaching the work zone.

​The Ministry said it regrets any inconvenience caused and thanks the public for its continued co-operation. For further information, please visit the Ministry’s website (www.mowt.gov.tt) or call the PURE Unit at 638-2350, 638-2256 or 675-4052.

According to the Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT), the body of a missing man from Manzanilla was found this afternoon (Monday 29th May 2023) in a tree. The deceased has been identified as 53-year-old Martin Thomas, aka ‘Props,’ of Nariva Trace, Manzanilla.

Thomas left home to harvest baby parrots in the Nariva Swamp on 20th May 2023 and was not seen since.

The HSRT led by Captain Vallence Rambharat and three (3) villagers located his body at 1:35 PM this afternoon on a tree. “It appears he fell off the tree and his legs got caught in the vines, about 40 feet from the base of the tree. ASP Darryl Ramdass of the Anti Kidnapping Unit and Ag. Corporal Linda Chatoo of the Manzanilla Police Station co-ordinated the search. The tree is located about 4 Kilometres West of the Manzanilla Beach Facility. Will update,” the HSRT said on Facebook.

Rambharat said the tree is approximately 60 feet tall and during the fall, Thomas' ankle got caught in the 'fork' of the tree and that was where his body remained suspended.

The search team started on Monday morning, approximately 3.2 Kilometres West of the Manzanilla Beach Facility and waded through waters up to almost two metres deep in the mangrove, in order to locate the body.

More on this as it becomes available.

A couple from South Trinidad were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Saturday (27th May 2023) while attempting to sell a television to someone on Facebook Marketplace. The robbery took place in Laventille, where both parties agreed to meet to conduct the transaction.

According to reports, the couple, a 35-year-old man and 48-year-old woman from Debe, had advertised their 40-inch Samsung television for sale on Facebook Marketplace. A potential buyer contacted the couple and they agreed to meet at Plaisance Road in Laventille around 11:30 AM on Saturday. The buyer agreed to pay for the item with cash.

Upon arrival, the couple parked at a basketball court in the area. They were then approached by armed men who relieved them of the television, a cell phone and cash.

No arrests have been made so far.

In light of this latest Facebook robbery, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) are again warning persons to be wary of doing transactions on social media, as these can be unsafe.

Officers of the Besson Street Police Station are continuing their investigations.

[Source: Loop]