Heavy rains are expected to continue affecting Jamaica for the next two days as the broad band of showers associated Hurricane Wilma lingers over Jamaica.
A car navigates through floodwater from Tropical Storm Wilma on the Mandela Highway, Monday in Kingston, Jamaica. Wilma was expected to bring heavy rain in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said. Up to 10 inches of rain was possible in parts of Honduras. Photo: AP |
Adrian Shaw, duty forecaster at the National Meteorological Centre, said the island will continue to experience widespread flooding and landslides as a result of heavy rains and thunderstorms, reports the Jamaica Gleaner.
Barbara Carby, director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, yesterday said 178 persons were being housed in shelters as the island continued to experience flash flooding and landslides mainly in St. Andrew and St. Catherine.
Already, the damage from the heavy rains is estimated to cost the country millions. Petra-Keane Williams, acting communications manager at the National Works Agency, Monday reported extensive damage to the island’s road infrastructure in some areas.
“Several roadways across the island have been either flooded or there has been damage to the road surface as a result of the heavy rains that we have been receiving over the past few days,” she said. “Significant damage has been done in some areas. Already we have had to close the Yallahs ford (St. Thomas) because it is impassable, the Bog Walk gorge (St. Catherine) is also closed because that area is flooded.”
Ms. Williams said one of the alternative routes through the gorge at Barry was also flooded and several areas in St. Catherine were experiencing flooding.
Flooding also occurred on Port Henderson Road in the vicinity of Bernard Lodge and the Spanish Town to Bamboo main road in the vicinity of Kitson Town. A section of the Portmore Causeway was also impassable due to flooding.
In Kingston and St. Andrew, the roads to Gordon Town, Mavis Bank and Irish Town were blocked due to landslides in those areas. The Stony Hill to Toms River and Parks roads were impassable yesterday. However, Ms. Williams said the NWA team was able to clear the Gordon Town road and restore single-lane access to the Stony Hill to Toms River road. She said the work team was working to restore access to the other areas.
Several roads in the southern section of the island were also affected by landslides, mainly along the Lititz to Alligator Pond and Christiana to Alston and Moravia roadways, as well as Spring Ground to Bull Savannah in Manchester and St. Elizabeth.
There were reports of extensive flooding in May Pen and other areas of Clarendon.
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