By Roy Sanford, Staff Reporter
At left, Donovan Henry from Adelphi, St. James shows his furniture that was flooded out during the recent heavy rains. Estoria Kaye, right, shows some of the chickens that were killed during the recent flooding that affected sections of St. James earlier this week. - Patrick Campbell/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
SECTIONS OF Adelphi, St. James remained under several feet of water yesterday afternoon, and householders in several communities in the parish suffered losses, after heavy rains lashed the western part of the island on Monday.
The heavy rains flooded a huge section of Content in Adelphi, leaving in its wake a large pool of water. Residents in the area claimed that it could be as deep as 30 feet in some areas. "Every time it rains this area is covered with water and we fret all the time," Michael Campbell, a resident of the area, said.
Although Campbell's house was spared, his neighbour Donovan Henry was not so lucky. "About mid-day Monday, me see di water rising and rising," Henry said. "So me call a friend and he start pass some block for me to put me furniture dem on."
His quick thinking helped save much of his furniture, but the water rose about four inches inside his house, despite the fact that it is on stilts some two feet high. Currently, he said the house is inhabitable. "Me cyaan stay in there," he said pointing to the mud covered floor. "Me will have to find some place to sleep tonight."
The tiny community of Lynch Heights was cut off from the rest of the island after raging waters swept away several feet of the roadway. By Tuesday morning, residents took matters in their own hands and began patching up sections of the road.
"We could not stay with the road like this," Edwin Anderson, a resident said. "Suppose somebody in the area get sick, how we going to get them to the doctor?"
Estoria Kaye, a resident of Blitheston, St. James watched helplessly on Monday as rising waters invaded her house, shop and chicken coop. "The water came up from the pond at the back," Mrs. Kaye explained to The Gleaner. "So at first we thought it would not be that bad because nothing like this had happened before."
By the time the water receded in the late afternoon, some 40 chickens lay dead. A number of items in Mrs. Kay's shop were damaged or destroyed and some of her furniture lay in ruins.
Mrs. Kaye's neighbour, Cynthia Blasgrove, faced a worse situation when, at least, five feet of water completely overran her yard and spilt into her home, damaging everything in its path. "Inside the house the water came up to my knees," Miss Blasgrove said. "Everything in the house is damaged including sofas, couches, beds and clothing."
Meanwhile, residents in some affected areas have issued an appeal to those in authority for help. "We need some help from Mr. Bartlett," Edwin Anderson of Lynch Heights said, in reference to the Member of Parliament for the area. "We want him to come here and see our situation and see what he can do to help us."
