Three in shelter as rains continue
TWO adults and a child whose homes in Tavern and Mud Town, St Andrew have been affected by mudslides due to continuous heavy rains affecting the island were yesterday given shelter at the Tavern Community Centre.
In the meantime, the National Meteorological Service last night extended its flash flood warning for all parishes – which means that flooding has been reported or could occur shortly – as heavy rains, caused by spiral bands and a trough associated with Tropical Storm Noel continued to lash the island.
Last night, motorists were asked to avoid the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine, which was flooded, and use the alternative routes of Sligoville and Barry.
“The public is asked to avoid this potentially dangerous area,” the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) warned about the gorge, where vehicles were washed away last month and more than 50 people trapped by the raging waters of the Rio Cobre had to be rescued by the Jamaica Defence Force Airwing.
Yesterday, the ODPEM reported that several areas were affected by land slips and flooding.
In the parish of St Andrew, the ODPEM said:
. The Gordon Town main road was blocked by a landslide, while the alternative route was also impassable.
. Residents of Kintyre were marooned as the bridge to the community had collapsed.
. Residents of Irish Town were also marooned as a result of landslides along the main roadway within the surrounding communities of Junapahill and Windsor.
. There was landslide and flooding in the community of Harbour View, specifically along Harbour Drive.
. The Bloxburgh road, in the vicinity of Bito and Alderstad, was also blocked by landslides.
In Clarendon:
. Clarendon Park, in the vicinity of the Juici Patties, was inundated by flood water.
In St Elizabeth:
. The Pepper main road was impassable.