Residents in North Sound Estates are hoping government will raise the level of Windward Drive, which is being periodically inundated by salt water from king tides, including those over the past 10 days.
Retired civil servant Ray Jackson has been living in the area for 24 years and he believes Windward Drive needs to be raised up by between 12 to 18 inches.
He said, “People are having to adjust their behaviour just because of the tides. Some people don’t even leave their homes when the tide is high.”
When asked if the flooding was happening more frequently, or if it was possibly linked to sea-level rise, Jackson said he couldn’t say for sure, because “the tidal flooding had been happening on and off for years,” but he thought “it could be happening a little more frequently”.
He also believes that some of the wells have been placed in the incorrect locations.
“They dug a deep well in the crown [centre] of the road on James Street [off Windward Drive] and when the tide is high, the salt water comes flooding out of the drain and it gets trapped on the verges of the road.”
Carole Broadbelt, one the residents in North Sound Estates and the administrator of their WhatsApp community group, said, “Government raised the level of Leeward Drive in April 2019 and in June 2019. They surveyed Windward Drive and raised it up by about an inch, but obviously it was not enough.”
She added that when they get the high tides, “Residents are having to drive through several inches of salt water and this obviously is not good for their vehicles, or even the garbage trucks that have to come through to service the area.”
She said that one individual in the community recently took their car in for inspection and it was condemned.
“The inspector pressed his fist against the chassis, and it went straight through, it was so badly rusted out by the salt water,” she said.
Another area resident, Kristie Bothwell described North Sound Estates as a great place to live but she hoped government would help them by addressing the challenge they were facing.
“I love living down there. It is quiet and a close-knit community, but they need to sort out the problem of the flooding,” she said.
Broadbelt, who has been living in the area for the past 14 years, said sometimes the king tides cover up the speed bumps on the road.
“I am fairly sure sea-level rise is a factor,” she said.
“It certainly seems to be happening more frequently over the past three years and the residents are discussing it more often and a lot of people are really hoping something can be done to improve the situation.”
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