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Community Flood Early Warning System Project
Community Flood Early Warning System Project
Flooding events occur frequently in Trinidad and Tobago and is a natural disaster that has resulted in extensive socio-economic losses. The most recent major flood of October 2018 affected 150,0000 persons and significantly impacted the livelihoods of the agricultural community.
Project Goals
To strengthen community and national capacities for generating flood early warnings and effectively planning and executing anticipatory actions to reduce loss of life, and minimize displacement and poverty. This will be done through:
1. Enhancing capacity for detecting, monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting of flood hazards
2. Expanding flood early warning information communication/ dissemination platform
3. Strengthening of coordination and management of floods at the community and national levels
4. Improving emergency response capacities in a crisis
Seven communities across Trinidad and Tobago were targeted, 5 in Trinidad and 2 in Tobago; Couva Caroni, Maraval (upper and lower), Cunupia, Papourie, Diego Martin, Crooks River and Bacolet River. These communities were chosen as they were determined to be highly susceptible to flooding, populated and/or have agriculture subsistence activities, had no streamflow stations or rainfall gauges installed and many were among the poorest.
Fast Facts
Value of Project: USD 487,804.88
Duration: 2 years (June 2021 to May 2023)
Donor: European Commission Humanitarian Aid Operation (ECHO)
Implementing Partners: Ministry of National Security - Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM)
Other Partners
- Water Resources Agency (WRA)
- Ministry of Rural Development & Local Government (MRDLG)
- Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Services (TTMS)
- Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT)
- Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)
Completed Activities
Currently, the project has achieved the targets across all components of the project. This includes:
Component 1: the installation and commissioning of seven (7) stream gauges. Training key personnel in national agencies in flood modeling and mapping and the completion of a gender and age analysis report on the seven (7) communities.
Component 2: Installation of three (3) antennas across Trinidad and Tobago. The CFEWS website (www.floodwarnings.gov.tt) was registered and is publicly accessible, displaying stream gauges and rainfall stations. The public education and awareness campaign is completed and consists of the development of signage, project design, fact sheets, outreach, interviews, and panel discussions on national television.
Component 3: Achieved training 210 persons in CERT and CHO. The Interagency Coordinating Mechanism Report is completed, and the interagency coordination is improved and functional.
Why Flood Warning Systems are Important:
1. Flood early warning systems (FEWS) are essential for disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness. FEWS help to identify potential hazards and provide timely warnings to at-risk communities before a disaster strikes and this can save lives and reduce the economic and social impacts of flooding.
2. Early warning systems (EWS) rely on accurate and timely information. This information comes from a variety of sources, including weather forecasts, monitoring, and satellite imagery.
3. Community preparedness relies on individual preparedness and involves training, being prepared and paying attention to warning messages and knowing what actions to take to stay safe.
4. National agencies regularly test and update operating procedures to ensure that they are effective and relevant, to support community and national disaster preparedness and resilience.
