The Works and Infrastructure Minister and a technical team from his ministry toured some of the hardest hit areas in West Trinidad Wednesday. He said he plans to present a comprehensive report to cabinet on Thursday.
Commenting on the situation on the ground, Warner said many people cannot return to their homes. They have lost everything, he said.
"We have to provide for them in terms of some basic necessities. We have to find the money to do some immediate work, for drainage, for walls and so on," he told reporters.
"We have to become creative once again because I have said before $7 million for flood mitigation just cannot make sense under these circumstances. That is why I have to go back to Cabinet to report."
He added, "Next month is Christmas, these people have children going to school so we have to declare some of these areas and we have to do things necessary to make people comfortable."
Warner stressed the need to enforce the laws against indiscriminate building on the hillsides.
"See the kind of damage done to our mountain side and so on and we have to pay a price for that and while Government and Regional Corporations and Ministries have to act and work together the developers have a role to play we did not create the problems they did and that is why we cannot divorce them from this whole situation."
He dismissed suggestions that the first responders were too slow in dealing with the weekend flooding disaster, noting that they were on the job immediately.
"I mean if you get anything faster than that tell me. So those guys who criticise they always criticise they are pot hounds who run after every car to bark and I’m not interested in that," he said.
"We have to become creative once again because I have said before $7 million for flood mitigation just cannot make sense under these circumstances. That is why I have to go back to Cabinet to report."
He added, "Next month is Christmas, these people have children going to school so we have to declare some of these areas and we have to do things necessary to make people comfortable."
Warner stressed the need to enforce the laws against indiscriminate building on the hillsides.
"See the kind of damage done to our mountain side and so on and we have to pay a price for that and while Government and Regional Corporations and Ministries have to act and work together the developers have a role to play we did not create the problems they did and that is why we cannot divorce them from this whole situation."
He dismissed suggestions that the first responders were too slow in dealing with the weekend flooding disaster, noting that they were on the job immediately.
"I mean if you get anything faster than that tell me. So those guys who criticise they always criticise they are pot hounds who run after every car to bark and I’m not interested in that," he said.
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