Primary school among buildings under water in St Mary

Dozens of students are now marooned at the Port Maria Primary School in St Mary after persistent rainfall left the compound and several classrooms inundated.

The torrential rainfall, which has been pounding St Mary since Sunday evening, also left the entire roadway leading from a Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) camp into the town of Port Maria covered by murky water.

Member of Parliament for Western St Mary, Dr Morais Guy, said that the students had to relocate to the upper floor at that institution as rising water had inundated classrooms on the ground floor.

"The children are marooned. They have been placed on the top floor of the building. The Jamaica fire service came and they have advised that they would have to wait until the water has subsided,” said Guy.

“All the offices from the Jamaica Public Service... well to the JDF barracks, all the way down into the town, they are flooded. So basically the town is at a standstill in terms of activity and the water, to my understanding, continues to rise," he continued.

Port Maria lies below sea level and according to Guy, water from hills flows into the Pagee River and the Otram River, which then flows into the eastern and western ends of the town.

Several businesses including Courts furniture and appliance store, Giant supermarket, Rubi's Service Station, KFC, and several shops and bars along main street and Cox Street in Port Maria are affected by the floodwaters.

Meantime, Mayor of Port Maria, Richard Creary, said that the severe weather has rendered emergency crews powerless as the heavy rain continues to pound sections of the parish.

Creary says that until the rain subsides, no remedial work can be done.

He is also urging residents that take the necessary precautions arising from the bad weather.

"The whole town is blocked and the alternative route, which is Cox Street, is blocked off as well by the river. So you can't go either way," Creary said. 

- Gareth Davis Snr. & Carl Gilchrist

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