By McPherse Thompson, Staff Reporter 
THE devastation caused by flood rain that has been affecting the island for the past nine days will likely be registered as the first shock to the island's economy for the current fiscal year, and could plunge the country into a financial crisis.
That is partly because of the yet to be estimated loss to production, as well as the billions of dollars that will have to be diverted from the already tight budget, or raised through loans or grants to repair roads and other infrastructure damaged by the torrential rain.
With more than a week of sustained rain that is forecast to continue for at least another day, and that has affected at least 11 parishes so far, the impact of the devastation is, roughly, expected to come in at more than $10 billion, considering the $1.5 billion estimate put on Portland and St. Mary during last November's floods.
However, with the floods coming on the heels of tomorrow's start of the 2002 hurricane season, the shock could prove to be more devastating unless the Government moves quickly to mitigate further damage, simply by implementing the much needed drain-cleaning programme.
Residents in different parishes affected by the past week's floods have been adamant that, the inundation in some low-lying areas notwithstanding, were the drains properly maintained much of the damage would have been moderated.
State agencies such as the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), which is responsible for the maintenance of drains in the Corporate Area, and the National Works Agency (NWA), which has been mandated to maintain those along the major thoroughfares, were lukewarm in their responses earlier this week to Financial Gleaner queries about plans to clean drains.
KSAC Town Clerk Errol Greene said they have a drain-cleaning programme in place, but priority was being given to the more serious areas. Implementation would also depend on the availability of funds, he said.
Asked, for instance, what attention was being given to the major thoroughfare of Marcus Garvey Drive, especially near the Tinson Pen aerodrome which has consistently flooded either because of improper or clogged drainage, Mr. Greene said that area was the responsibility of the NWA.
However, the Town Clerk claimed the drains in the Marcus Garvey Drive area were cleaned recently and hence there was "great improvement over what it used to be." Sections of the drain, which empties in the Hunts Bay, were partly cleaned recently, apparently in furtherance of stipulations under a licence granted by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to carry out dredging works in the Kingston Harbour.
However, up to yesterday there was no indication that the channel, which runs parallel to Marcus Garvey Drive and which has contributed to continuous flooding in that area, has been cleaned in recent times.
Checks have shown that a corollary to the continuous flooding on Marcus Garvey Drive and other areas affected by poor and improperly maintained drainage, has been decay in the road surfaces. The result has been frequent
repairs to the road surfaces, at costs far exceeding what it would cost to clean and maintain the waterways. Penny wise and pound foolish?
Estimates of the damage to roadways were not obtained from the NWA up to yesterday. Damaged infrastructure in St. Thomas and other parishes were up to last evening being assessed by a team from the NWA, led by its chief executive Ivan Anderson, and the Ministry of Transport and Works, led by Minister Robert Pickersgill.
The Minister and his team are expected to hold a press conference today to update the country on the flood situation, damage to roads and other infrastructure, and measures to be taken to try and correct the situation.
A spokesperson for the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), declined to comment yesterday on whether the agency was satisfied with the conditions of the drains going into the hurricane season, suggesting that the Financial Gleaner raise the issue during a planned press conference.
