Rising water, rising worries

Nagra Plunkett, Assignment Coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:  The rising water in sections of eastern Hanover has become an attraction for some curious Jamaicans, but the situation is extremely grave for the affected residents.

The communities of Chigwell, Forest and Old Pen are now flooded and the residents are living in hell.

"I heard about it and I just came to see what was happening for myself," Linton Martin, a resident of Newton, near Maggotty in St Elizabeth, shared with The Sunday Gleaner during a visit with friends to Chigwell yesterday.

"Water down a New Market, but not so bad like here," Martin added.

source of worry

For Adrian Longshaw, the rising water has been a constant source of worry for the community of Chigwell, since Jamaica was battered by rainfall associated with what became Tropical Storm Nicole.

"The Government need a contingency plan for Chigwell, 'cause is the water from here go all the way back to Old Pen and round by Forest," said the 40-year-old Longshaw.

"Me want a relocation plan for the community to higher ground, and a boat to reach the vulnerable. Right now, there are three families that we haven't seen since the rains, because them border by the hills and the water."

He said two displaced families have already used up the limited space at Chigwell Basic School, which is used as an emergency shelter by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

"The situation drastic and we need attention! No resources not reaching the needy people."

Desroy Moodie said his home community of Forest has been cut off from vehicular traffic.

alternative routes

"The water reach in my yard and we have to be cutting (foot) tracks through the hills to get in and out," he stated.

"I understand some underground springs are the problem, and when the water rise, it takes three to four months to recede."

George 'Timmy' Wilson is now the unofficial coast guard in the community of Chigwell. He uses a boat left by ODPEM to traverse the waters to get to his house and to take whatever he can to the three marooned families.

"Mostly, every seven years the water rises. I know of about 10 persons that gone to stay with relatives," he explained. "The water is at my back and front doors now, so I had to move out all my furniture except two beds and barrel through a side door."