MORANT BAY:
RAIN ACCOMPANIED by heavy winds which lashed the parish between Friday night and throughout the day on Saturday pulled down power lines, blocked roads and left extensive damage to roadways.
The water level rose above two and a half feet in the Port Morant area, forcing about 40 persons out of their homes. Residents blamed the flooding on blocked drains which caused a gully to overflow in Danvers Pen. It was a similar fate for some residents at Church Corner, as well as Bamboo River. In Dalvey, a wooden church collapsed, while a house lost its roof. At Golden Grove, police kept a close watch on the rising waters, which also forced vehicular traffic to halt.
Vendors travelling from Portland to Kingston on a bus had to remain on the public transport in Leith Hall overnight because the road to Port Morant was made impassable by land slippages.
Teams from the National Work Agency as well as the Parish Council were busy clearing roads up to yesterday. Superintendent of the Parish Council, Dennis Bembridge, told The Gleaner they would try to clean some of the drains yesterday. Technicians from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo), had difficulty getting into some areas such as Bath and Beacon Hill. A JPSCo crew member said that with the extent of the damage, electricity may not be restored to all areas until some time this afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Service at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston late yesterday lifted the severe weather alert for the island.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reported that the Leith Hall main road was still partly blocked and could accommodate small vehicles only, but motorists should proceed with caution. The Pear Tree River Road was still blocked.
