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The Classics

PHOTO FLASHBACK: Floods ravage Western Jamaica - June 1979

Published:Friday | June 4, 2021 | 6:47 AMA Digital Integration & Marketing production
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The sewage plant on Barnett Street in Montego Bay surrounded by water after the flood in June 1979.
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The plains southwest of Frome inundated.
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The town of Frome was scoured by the Ricketts River which overflowed its banks and bypassed the bridge flooding the area.
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The front yard of these McNeil Lands residents on Friday, June 15, 1979, when the Prime Minister toured that part of Westmoreland.
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The volume of water coming down the Montego River swept away acres of growing bananas, as can be seen in this photograph, showing graphically how heavy the rain was.
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It isn’t often that flooding is a problem for the Western end of the island even though there are a number of rivers that have been taken over by the various developments. That does, however, mean, that when there is, oh boy! An almost perfect example of the massive fallout that can come from flooding on the west end, can be seen in these 1979 Gleaner photos.

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