WILLEMSTAD--Two people died in Curaçao as the tail of Tropical Storm Tomás brought up to 265 millimetres of rainfall to certain areas of the island between 7:00pm and 2:30am Monday night, later and much more than the local Met Office had predicted.
The system dipped South and ended up passing closer to the so-called ABC islands Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao than forecast, causing heavy showers and thunderstorms. In Curaçao there were 400 requests for assistance, of which 70 per cent were for flooding, prompting government to request and receive assistance from the Dutch troops on the island.
Prime Minister Schotte said the amount of precipitation within five to six hours was as much as the island normally saw in an entire year. The heavier-than-expected rains were due to wind flows from two different directions as the tail of the system was passing to the North.
Large areas of the island were flooded, a few walls that filled up with water collapsed and several trees fell because of the heavily saturated ground. Cars were pushed into ditches by the raging water, several neighbourhoods were left without power and TeleCuraçao was knocked off the air, apparently affected by lightning.
In Groot Davelaar, both Trupial Inn and Advent Hospital had to be partially evacuated and during the latter process volunteer Robert Willems of the Citizens Rescue Organisation Citro suddenly went missing. It turned out that he had been swept away by the treacherous flow of water after helping to evacuate a 97-year-old woman, among others, and his body was found nearby later.
A not-immediately-identified elderly man also passed away when his pickup ended up in the ditch at Jongbloed. He reportedly suffered a heart attack when the water came up in the cabin.
Other locations of major concern included Monsignor Verriet Institute for disadvantaged children, the SRG group in Emmastad and Emanuel old age home in Schelpwijk.
Schools remained closed on Tuesday and several businesses either did not open or opened for only part of the day. Utility company Aqualectra was working to get back the necessary capacity to supply the whole island with electricity again, while United Telecommunications Services (UTS) was dealing with the consequences of an overburdened network resulting from an exceptionally large number of people making calls at the same time.
There were reports of possible looting in the Salinja commercial district, but no confirmation. People were urged to stay off the public roads unless necessary and two Dutch army units were on standby to guarantee public order if required. They set up roadblocks in hard-hit or sensitive areas and guarded several vulnerable buildings.
They also used their pumps to help the Fire Department remove water from flooded structures such as the Curaçao Museum and assisted in the cleanup at various local schools.
Bonaire and Aruba also were affected by thunderstorms and heavy rains, but the situation there was apparently less serious, although all schools on the latter island also remained closed as a precaution.
