By Matthew Falloon and Rayon Dyer, Staff Reporters 
Somerset, St. Thomas, resident Caroline Fitzgerald salvages what she can from the freezer section of her refrigerator
yesterday. Her house was engulfed in a mudslide resulting from Tropical Storm Lili on Friday night. - Norman Grindley /Staff Photographer
As tropical storm Lili moves towards Cuba and away from Jamaica this weekend, residents of rural areas are recovering from the effects of torrential rains that pelted the island on Friday night.
From the eastern tip of the country to the foot of the Blue Mountains and the northeast of Jamaica, overnight rains flooded roadways and communities leaving some families homeless and motorists severely inconvenienced.
For the second time this year the community of Somerset, in western St. Thomas, was hit by a severe mudslide that threatened a dozen homes and ousted two families while roads between Morant Bay and Golden Grove suffered severe flooding. In Golden Grove, residents were forced to rely on a single tractor for transport across several hundred yards of flooded road, while flooding at a separate section of the main road between the two towns reduced traffic flow to single file as water gushed from the hills to the sea. The main road between Kingston and Morant Bay had suffered some surface damage. In other areas in St. Thomas, opportunistic entrepreneurs cleared the roadways of rubble and mud, asking motorists for donations throughout yesterday.
The communities of York and Seaforth in St. Thomas had also suffered severe flooding from the rains with roads becoming impassable within a few hours of the start of the storm. Waterways and streets were being cleared as The Sunday Gleaner visited the affected areas yesterday.
Morant Bay Fire Department Assistant Superintendent Clinton Samuels told The Sunday Gleaner that several areas were still impassable, citing Golden Grove, the Morant to Seaforth main road and Audley Crossing. He stated that several calls had been made to the Fire Department asking for assistance during the night with two rescue operations resulting from the information. Two adults in the Red Hills community were assisted but decided to remain in their dwelling as the rain subsided. At approximately 3.30 a.m., according to Assistant Superintendent Samuels, an attempt to assist residents in the Seaforth area was made but was abandoned due to the "volume of water and debris" on the road. Further checks were made and the residents' safety was verified.
High up in Somerset, St. Thomas, and for the second time this year Caroline Fitzgerald saw her house overcome by a mudslide that forced her to rush to safety with her two young children. MP for West St. Thomas, Minister Anthony Hylton, visited the area yesterday and offered immediate financial assistance to Mrs. Fitzgerald and the Bailey family, who were also forced from their home by the massive slide.
According to Trinityville Councillor Calvin Downie, at least 100 tonnes of earth had shifted during the night, forcing families to evacuate and triggering a clean-up operation that had carried on well into the day. The community was awaiting official assistance yesterday afternoon.
In St. Mary, a landslide blocked the Junction road in the Georgian area of the parish with the National Works Agency working to clean up the blockage yesterday.
Residents of St. Elizabeth did not escape Lili's wrath, with the Great Pond in Treasure Beach overflowing its banks resulting in the evacuation of several homes.
Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner yesterday Disaster Preparedness Coordinator for St. Elizabeth Yvonne Morrison said a number of persons were affected in the Treasure Beach area due to the rain and the subsequent overflowing of the Great Pond in the community.
"While the rain is not falling heavily at the moment, persons in flood prone areas like New River, New Market, Slipe, New Holland and Santa Cruz need to extend caution in case the rain continues," Miss Morrison said.
According to her, about 10 persons had to seek shelter with relatives and friends after they were unable to control the water coming into their homes.
In Black River, worshippers at two churches were prevented from going inside the buildings due to severe flooding and in the Flat Bush area of the community the members of one family had to evacuate their home due to rising water.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management could not confirm any reports of flooding or infrastructural damage in Portland and the Corporate Area, although heavily pounded during Friday night, has also escaped serious flooding.
