THE opposition PNM says it notes “troubling reports” of service disruptions at the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Services (TTMS) Division of the Ministry of Public Utilities due to alleged staffing shortages at the Synoptic (Forecasting) Branch.

The opposition, in a press release on October 2, strongly urged government to immediately restore full functionality to the Meteorological Office saying the disruption of essential weather services could significantly endanger the lives and safety of citizens and the entire eastern Caribbean which depends on timely weather and flight advisories emanating from the Met Services at at Piarco.

In an era of intensifying climate change and extreme weather events, the PNM said, accurate and timely meteorological information is not a luxury, it is a necessity.