St Thomas communities hit by flooding

RESIDENTS of some communities in St Thomas western seem to have been the hardest hit by yesterday’s flood rains from a tropical depression which developed into Tropical Storm Delta since passing by Jamaica.

National Works Agency (NWA) Communications and Customer Service Manager Stephen Shaw confirmed yesterday that residents of areas around the Cod Pen Bridge and Llandewey areas of the parish were marooned at home as, in addition to blocked main entrances, the detours from these communities were also blocked by flood waters.

The NWA warned motorists not to attempt to use Cod Pen Bridge, which is located on the roadway from Easington to Llandewey, as it had been closed out of an abundance of caution as a result of further damage to the structure during heavy rains over the weekend.

Cod Pen Bridge is one of several structures that have been identified by the NWA for replacement. Works to reconstruct the bridge are currently being evaluated ahead of being put to tender, Shaw confirmed.

He explained that the detour route to the bridge is flooded, as it continued to rain in the area, locking in residents. The alternative route is through the river over which the bridge passes, but persons have been advised not to attempt to use that route until the flood waters have subsided.

Shaw said the NWA can assure that the detour will be properly re-established, as soon as the weather permits.

He said that the road from Georgia to Trinityville was also flooded and its detour blocked, leaving the access to the two St Thomas communities impassable following heavy rains.

The NWA dispatched teams to the locations to assess the problems, and the possibility of opening some form of access to both areas by midday Tuesday was said to be very high.

“It is a bit of a concern to us that both these roads have suffered some damage because what it means is that persons in the Trinityville, Cedar Valley,windsor Forrest areas may have a challenge coming out of these areas because of the damage that has been caused,” Shaw noted.

He said that other areas of the roads have been susceptible to land slippage and mudslides and that the NWA was concerned about the situation, moving as swiftly as possible to carry out whatever repairs are necessary in the context of the heavy rains that are being experienced in the parish.