St Bess farmer suffers big losses due to flooding
On the banks of Little River, an offshoot of the famous Black River in St Elizabeth, Howard Ricketts has been making a living planting crops like corn, okra, callaloo and cabbage for as long as he can remember.
This year, however, he believes that his profits will be slim as recent heavy rainfall caused the Little River to overflow its banks, killing his crops and those of other farmers.
“I spent a lot on this and I didn’t make it back. I lost a lot and that’s what I use to support my kids and my family. Even piece of the young peas that I plant just the other day, I have to pay the tractor to plough it. So, I lost roughly three acres of corn and around an acre of okra,” he said.
Ricketts estimates that he has lost approximately $1.5 million. After the heavy rainfall, the water level reached knee- high on Ricketts’ farm. He told THE STAR that the river is generally very predictable.
“It floods but mostly in October and November. That’s the time where we usually have a lot of water. In April here, you know we wasn’t looking for that,” he said, noting that the dry months are typically from December to March. Occasionally, that period last until April.
“We start plant by November, sometimes December. It’s all about the river. When it is coursing properly, we not gonna have this heavy flood every year,” he said.
As Ricketts mourns this financial losses, he says he has no other choice but to try and find odd jobs to support his family.
“I don’t know what to do, that’s what slowing me up right now. I don’t know where to turn. I’m thinking of looking some days work out there to patch up some things cause all of that would have been an asset to me if I didn’t lose it,” he said.
Ricketts is calling for the removal of dirt and debris, including fallen trees, from the river as he believes this has contributed to the flooding.
Blackwood was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to robbery with aggravation following an incident on Norman Road, Kingston, about 2:50 p.m. on April 29. It was reported that the complainant was on his way from school to meet his father, but observed three men, one of whom was later identified as Blackwood, walking towards him. The complainant indicated that Blackwood grabbed him, taking a smartphone from his pocket. One of the other men reportedly took money from the complainant. The court heard that about 15 seconds after the complainant was robbed, his father arrived and he informed him of what had occurred. The father and son went in search of the men. When they were spotted, the complainant’s father began sounding his horn. But when the men noticed him, they ran. Police on patrol saw what was happening and chased the men. When they were accosted, the smartphone was taken from Blackwood’s pants. But Blackwood denied that he is a thief.
“First and foremost, Your Honour, I am not a thief and I did not make any attempt to rob this young man. I was preventing the incident from escalating,” Blackwood said.
Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque then asked why he pleaded guilty to the offence, to which Blackwood replied that the phone was found in his possession.
“Who is the person who took the phone? How you came to be in possession of the phone exactly? At what point you got this phone? What are the circumstances, specifically, in terms of how did the police get the phone from you?” ColeMontaque asked.
“I honestly don’t know the person. The two young men jump the park fence, Your Honour, which the phone fell from one of the young men and I took it up and put it in my back pocket,” Blackwood explained.
He was made the subject of a fingerprint order and is to return to court on June 23, when he is to be sentenced.