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Welcome rain wreaks havoc
Published: Wednesday | December 23, 2009
The pedestrian bridge in Seamans Valley which was washed away by the overflowing Rio Grande. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
A five-year-old girl was washed away by heavy rains in St Mary yesterday and is now presumed dead.
Teemarie Barrett of Bays Mountain in St Mary was swept away by flood waters while she was completing a family errand about 2:45 p.m.
According to police reports, young Barrett was heading to the shop along the Bays Mountain main road and was washed away by surging waters. A passer-by tried to rescue her but was unsuccessful.
Search-and-rescue teams from the police and the fire brigade called off their hunt yesterday evening after futile attempts to locate her body.
The news followed heavy rainfall not seen in months, which caused heavy flooding in the parishes of St Mary and Portland. Roads were blocked, there were land slippages and one pedestrian bridge is no more.
Single-lane access
In St Mary, the rains made several roadways impassable and reduced some to single-lane traffic.
The National Works Agency (NWA) reported that the Outram River in Port Maria overflowed its banks, causing flooding along roadways in the town. The Rosend main road, which was rendered impassable by silt and debris earlier yesterday, was cleared for single-lane access.
There were also blockages along the Junction main road at Georgia, and between Broadgate and Tom's River, which were also partially cleared for single-lane usage.
There was also flooding in Span Lane, Dumpland and along Fort George Road in Annotto Bay.
Severe flooding occurred in western St Mary along the Mason Hall main road, while the Derry main road was reduced to single-lane usage.
A land slippage at Huddersfield blocked a section of the main road from Little Bay to Oracabessa, and the main road in the town of Oracabessa is impassable as a result of inundation.
Land slippages in portland
Meanwhile, in western Portland, land slippages have occurred in Cascade, Buff Bay Valley, reducing several road sections to single-lane access.
The Alligator Church pedestrian bridge in eastern Portland was washed away, with pedestrians now using the new Alligator Church Bridge, which is nearing completion. In the meantime, the Meteorological Service has issued a flash-flood warning for low-lying and flood-prone areas until five o'clock this afternoon.
A flash-flood warning means flooding has been reported or will occur shortly.
Residents in low-lying areas should be on the alert for rising water and be ready to move quickly to higher ground.
A frontal system and a trough in the vicinity of Jamaica are expected to continue to influence the weather across the island until today.
While the frontal system is expected to dissipate today, the trough and associated weather are expected to move away from the island by tomorrow.
Fishers and other marine interests are advised to exercise caution, as gusty winds and rough seas are likely.
John Beckford dangerously rides his bike along what is left of an embankment at Friday in the Rio Grande Valley, after rainfall yesterday led to land slippage. The roadway was completely destroyed.
This bus plunged into a gully in Hope Bay, Portland, killing 28-year-old Vanessa Francis of Box Street in St Mary, and Janice Core of Belfield, also in St Mary. The bodies were pulled from a canal by divers and other rescue workers who turned out in large numbers shortly after the accident. Two other persons, including a five-year-old girl, are still missing, while six were treated for minor injuries and released from the Port Antonio Hospital late last evening.
Published: Wednesday | December 23, 2009
The pedestrian bridge in Seamans Valley which was washed away by the overflowing Rio Grande. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
A five-year-old girl was washed away by heavy rains in St Mary yesterday and is now presumed dead.
Teemarie Barrett of Bays Mountain in St Mary was swept away by flood waters while she was completing a family errand about 2:45 p.m.
According to police reports, young Barrett was heading to the shop along the Bays Mountain main road and was washed away by surging waters. A passer-by tried to rescue her but was unsuccessful.
Search-and-rescue teams from the police and the fire brigade called off their hunt yesterday evening after futile attempts to locate her body.
The news followed heavy rainfall not seen in months, which caused heavy flooding in the parishes of St Mary and Portland. Roads were blocked, there were land slippages and one pedestrian bridge is no more.
Single-lane access
In St Mary, the rains made several roadways impassable and reduced some to single-lane traffic.
The National Works Agency (NWA) reported that the Outram River in Port Maria overflowed its banks, causing flooding along roadways in the town. The Rosend main road, which was rendered impassable by silt and debris earlier yesterday, was cleared for single-lane access.
There were also blockages along the Junction main road at Georgia, and between Broadgate and Tom's River, which were also partially cleared for single-lane usage.
There was also flooding in Span Lane, Dumpland and along Fort George Road in Annotto Bay.
Severe flooding occurred in western St Mary along the Mason Hall main road, while the Derry main road was reduced to single-lane usage.
A land slippage at Huddersfield blocked a section of the main road from Little Bay to Oracabessa, and the main road in the town of Oracabessa is impassable as a result of inundation.
Land slippages in portland
Meanwhile, in western Portland, land slippages have occurred in Cascade, Buff Bay Valley, reducing several road sections to single-lane access.
The Alligator Church pedestrian bridge in eastern Portland was washed away, with pedestrians now using the new Alligator Church Bridge, which is nearing completion. In the meantime, the Meteorological Service has issued a flash-flood warning for low-lying and flood-prone areas until five o'clock this afternoon.
A flash-flood warning means flooding has been reported or will occur shortly.
Residents in low-lying areas should be on the alert for rising water and be ready to move quickly to higher ground.
A frontal system and a trough in the vicinity of Jamaica are expected to continue to influence the weather across the island until today.
While the frontal system is expected to dissipate today, the trough and associated weather are expected to move away from the island by tomorrow.
Fishers and other marine interests are advised to exercise caution, as gusty winds and rough seas are likely.
John Beckford dangerously rides his bike along what is left of an embankment at Friday in the Rio Grande Valley, after rainfall yesterday led to land slippage. The roadway was completely destroyed.
This bus plunged into a gully in Hope Bay, Portland, killing 28-year-old Vanessa Francis of Box Street in St Mary, and Janice Core of Belfield, also in St Mary. The bodies were pulled from a canal by divers and other rescue workers who turned out in large numbers shortly after the accident. Two other persons, including a five-year-old girl, are still missing, while six were treated for minor injuries and released from the Port Antonio Hospital late last evening.