(Trinidad Express) In response to the nation-wide power outage, the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in her capacity as Chair of the National Security Council ordered an increase in the national security alert.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister issued a statement regarding the measures taken.
Following is the statement released by the Prime Minister:
“This precautionary measure was enacted to ensure that law and order was maintained, and critical infrastructure remained secure during the blackout.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and Trinidad and Tobago Police Service were mobilised and deployed, supported by air patrols from the National Security Operations Centre, into several key areas throughout the country.
“There was one reported incident of attempted looting at a supermarket in Barataria, but this was prevented due to the intervention of law enforcement officials on the scene.
“Coordination of the security effort continues via the National Strategic Command and the National Emergency Operations Centre, comprising all emergency systems and these agencies are prepared to respond to any incident if necessary.
“The Chair of the National Security Council has requested a full report from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs and the Ministry of Public Utilities as to the cause of the blackout and what contingencies or redundancies should be put in place to avoid a recurrence of such a situation.
The public is assured that all necessary agencies are working to rectify the problem.”
