Portland Cottage spared the worst

SECTIONS OF Clarendon's plains were yesterday transformed into ponds with roads, farms and yards taken over by water dumped by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Nicole.

The flood-prone Portland Cottage, however, was spared the usual baptism. Aside from many roads in the community being inundated and a few homes being engulfed by water, the community was no different from the day before the rain.

"Wi all right," one man told the Gleaner news team.

"All wi want is fi Bruce (Prime Minister Bruce Golding) come fix di road dem," the resident said.

The Jamaica Information Service yesterday reported that approximately 30 families were flooded out of their homes. The flooding, the agency reported, took place mainly in Sedge Pond, York Town, Milk River, Mitchell Town and Portland Cottage.

The Gravel Hill, Pass Side and Milk River Spa roads were all impassable up to press time last night.

Carlton Bailey, councillor for the Milk River division in the parish, who was out looking at flood damage, said he was thankful the effects of the heavy rains were not more extensive.

Bailey said that most of the flooding in communities, such as Clifton and Sedge Pond, is linked to irrigation works on the sugar estates. He said that many of the house are lower than the canals that have been built on the estates and when it rains, they sometimes carry water into people's homes and across roadways.