Prime Minister Patrick Manning was among the thousands caught up in the heavy flooding which drenched Port of Spain and another areas this afternoon.

He was forced to leave his official vehicle and high tail it to the Hyatt Regency Hotel where he attended an official function.

He abandoned his vehicle which was stuck in one of the many traffic gridlocks in and around the capital city.

But unlike ordinary citizens who made it through the rains as best as they can Manning had the luxury of being shielded by his security personnel holding an umbrella over his head as he walked to the hotel.

In the melee and scramble to reac home before dark there were reports of taxi drivers and passengers being robbed in east Port of Spain, this afternoon.

Pedestrians were also being forced to hand over their valuables to the lawless elements in these areas.

The police E-999 command centre a short while ago reported to News Power that the waters in most of the flood hit areas had subsided.

Consequently the ban on persons entering and leaving Port of Spain has been lifted.

The Maritime is also now clear except for mud and slush which is proving to be very testing for motorists anxious to reach home.

There was some drama in the Febeau Village, Laventille Road, San Juan district where a house collapsed with two occupants inside.

However they were rescued by villagers before the arrival of the fire service emergency crew.

South Trinidad is also reeling from the effects of heavy rain which has been pounding the island since early this morning.

Among the areas hardest hit are the Chaguanas central district, Couva, Penal, Debe, Gasparillo Barrackpore, and Point Fortin.

Three sections of the Lady Young Road were hit by landslips which made the road impassable.

Occupants of a private motor vehicle escaped unhurt as a tree fell on the vehicle also in that area.

The Maritime Roundabout in Barataria is said to be still under water which has also rendered that area impassable.

Emergency rescue vehicles experienced difficulty in getting to troubled areas as they were caught up in the massive traffic gridlock in and around the capital city.

Police were called out to certain areas in east Port-of-Spain and the Beetham where it was reported taxi drivers and passengers were robbed by armed bandits as they attempt to get to their homes before dark.

Police are still advising commuters not to enter or leave Port of Spain until around 6pm today, giving the flood waters time to go down.

In an advisory a short while ago the Office of Disaster and Management and Preparedness also reported severe flooding in Morvant, Petit Valley, Maraval, Maracas, St Joseph, Champs Fleurs, Cascade and Valsayn.

The ODPM has alerted the army, local government bodies, the fire service and other relevant organisations to standby to go into action if needed.

Re are being hampered because the PTSC buses cannot leave City Gate as a result of the level of the flood water which has the entire downtown area virtually impassable.

One hour ago it was reported that the Lady Yong Road was impassable with landslides in several parts of the roadway.

An unconfirmed report is that at least two vehicles had gone down the precipice at two different locations on the Lady Young .

Other horror stories including damage to homes and business places have reached our newsroom in areas such as Santa Cruz, Belmont, East Port-of-Spain, Tunapuna, Curepe and Sangre Grande.

Emergency vehicles are being kept busy as personmnel rush to perform rewcue operations also in south Trinidad.,

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