Carry your umbrellas

Torrential rains associated with Tropical Storm Richard are expected to continue lashing sections of the island until later today.

The Meteorological Service said yesterday that the centre of the tropical storm was projected to remain southwest of the island until late this afternoon before moving further west, away from Jamaica.

The Met Service said, as a result, flooding and flash flooding of low-lying and flood-prone areas was expected.

Tropical Depression 19 strengthened yesterday morning to become Tropical Storm Richard and has been impacting Jamaica's weather conditions since yesterday.

At 4 p.m. yesterday, the centre of the tropical storm was located near latitude 16.0 degrees north and longitude 80.4 degrees west or about 375 kilometres south southeast of Grand Cayman.

The system is expected to strengthen into a hurricane tomorrow. However, at that time, it will not be a threat to Jamaica.

In the meantime, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has stepped up its level of preparedness in light of the warning issued by the Met office.

According to Horace Glaze, senior director of the Preparedness and Emergency Operation Division at ODPEM, shelter managers and parish disaster coordinators are on alert to respond to emergency situations which might arise, especially in the western and southern regions.

Just three weeks ago, the island was affected by heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Nicole which resulted in more than a dozen deaths and major infrastructural damage across the island.