ABOUT 80 families in Kingston and St. Andrew have been flooded out since heavy rains began lashing the island on Tuesday, according to KSAC officials.
Town Clerk Errol Greene said he had reports of displacements in areas such as Tivoli Gardens, Greenwich Town, Payne Avenue, Maxfield Park, Denham Town and Trench Town.
"We haven't received any reports of loss of life," Mr. Greene said. "We are happy because our continuous drain-cleaning efforts prevented some serious disasters, based on the volume of water we had over the past three days."
TIVOLI GARDENS UNDER WATER
Desmond McKenzie, the Tivoli Gardens Councillor, told The Gleaner yesterday that some 50 families in his division had been flooded out. Most of them, he said, lived in Baugh Path, Raymond Place and Dreckett Place, areas in Tivoli Gardens. He said the flooding was caused by a blocked gully running from Darling Street to Seaga Boulevard.
"That gully has not been cleaned for years," Mr. McKenzie said. "I know an estimate was done but nothing was done." He said several of the flood victims had returned to their homes after they teamed to clean the gully to allow the water to flow again.
"There's been some drain-cleaning in the division, but nothing of any magnitude," he said. "The drains in the division need continuous cleaning."
Councillor Merline Anderson of the Greenwich Town Division told The Gleaner yesterday that five to six families were flooded out of their homes on Marcus Garvey Drive in her division. Twenty families were also flooded out of their homes in Majesty Gardens.
Ms. Anderson blamed the flooding in Majesty Gardens on incomplete work being done on a gully near the train line, beside the Tinson Pen aerodrome. She added that Portia Simpson Miller, the Member of Parliament for the area, visited the affected communities on Wednesday and distributed foodstuff and other emergency supplies.
"They are being looked after," Ms. Anderson said.
The Town Clerk, however, said he received reports of sabotage in the Marcus Garvey area.
"We got a report from the National Works Agency (NWA) that when they went to clear Marcus Garvey Drive, men were stuffing plastic bags and other items in the drains to clog them up," he said.
The Chalky River in Bull Bay, St. Andrew overflowed its banks and flooded several homes, said Councillor Patricia Morgan of the Dallas Division. She said, however, that there was no serious damage.
"There was nothing major this time around. Thank God," she said. In May, several people in the area were left homeless by floods.
