Clouds of fear as storms beckon
Published:Monday | July 5, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Laura Redpath, Senior Staff Reporter
KNOWN FOR extreme vulnerability during heavy rainfall, much less hurricanes, the rural St Andrew community of Cane River relies on its residents to fix what the State has not.
The Atlantic hurricane season, which officially started on June 1, kicked off with Hurricane Alex in mid-June and the Cane River residents are watching the weather closely with fear of possible damage to come from storms later on.
Like other residents of this community who are both wary and weary of hurricanes and the destruction they bring, Linda Walters said she has come to accept the fate of unstable infrastructure characteristic of mountainous communities such as Cane River.
"Nobody comes around to say, 'What are we going to do?'" Walters, who lives along the main road, lamented.
"They (residents) just do it. People who live here make repairs here and there," she said, explaining their philosophy of self-reliance.
As the sound of the rushing falls, mingled with children's screams and laughter, travelled through the trees and shrubbery along the hillside, not many houses are visible.
Concerns grow
However, the main road, which is slipping away and showing signs of missing chunks, has been in that condition since the last hurricane three years ago. The road, winding through Cane River towards Papine, can accommodate only one car comfortably, leaving drivers to sound their horns repeatedly when approaching a corner.
Passing through the district, there are signs of the mountain reclaiming the road, as grass and shrubbery find fertility in massive potholes.
Land slippage has caused the formation of slopes, covered in dislodged rocks, with portions of the road almost non-existent.
Walters has grave concerns for the future.
"I was so afraid during the last hurricane. The river was so high and we couldn't go up that way," she said, pointing towards Cane River Falls.
Parish disaster coordinator for St Andrew, Isaac Nugent, declined to speak at length about the road repairs needed in the Cane River community, but advised that shelters - the nearest being at Friendship Brook - were available if an evacuation order was issued.
In the meantime, Errol Greene, town clerk of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, said the clearing of drains was the parish council's top priority now.
"We wait for when the weather is more accommodating to do roadwork," Greene said.