HEAVY rains lashed the island yesterday for a sixth straight day, forcing hundreds of residents into emergency shelters, and keeping some communities marooned by high water and landslides.

At least seven deaths have been blamed on the heavy rains, which have damaged roads, uprooted trees, and left many communities awash in muddy flood waters.

The latest victim was 19 month-old Shanice Daley, of St Elizabeth’s Vineyard District, who was found yesterday in a pool of water near her home at about 12:15 pm, according to Cpl Georgia Brown, of the Constabulary Communications Network (CCN), the police’s central information centre.

In addition, an unidentified man was found in the Negro River in Danvers Pen, St Thomas yesterday, Cpl Brown said.

The Observer’s St Elizabeth correspondent reported that Shanice’s grandmother, Doreth Bennett, left the toddler in the care her 14 year-old male cousin and went to tend to her goats. However, on her return the child was found face down in a pool of water behind the house. She was taken to the Black River Hospital but was pronounced dead.

The rains are being caused by a low pressure system over the island, which forecasters say will produce scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms at least until mid-week.

However, the met service late yesterday downgraded its flash flood warning to a flash flood watch until 5:00 this morning for low-lying and flood-prone areas.

A flash flood watch means flash flooding is possible, so citizens are advised to be ready for quick action if flooding is observed or if a warning is issued.

Clarendon, St Catherine and Manchester still appear to have taken the brunt of the pounding rains.

Rescue workers using boats yesterday continued to enter communities marooned by flood waters, including the Big Pond area of St Catherine, where they were expected to arrive yesterday afternoon.

“The pond has cut off one section of the community from another,” said Franklyn Smith, the parish’s disaster co-ordinator.

“The affected area runs from Old Harbour Bay, to the south; to Big Pond, to the north; and to Cromarty, to the east,” he said. Old Harbour had suffered significant flooding, he told the Observer.

According to Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODPEM), at least 10 houses in the Big Pond area were flooded.

Smith said he was checking out a report that an uprooted tree had destroyed one house in the parish.

The parish was operating four shelters yesterday, housing 234 people, Smith said. Relief workers were distributing food packages, and blankets and there was “some cleaning up that’s taking place”, he added.

In flood-ravaged Clarendon, parish disaster co-ordinator, Nether Lyttle, said Dwight Smith, a 19 year-old student, was still missing as of yesterday afternoon.

However, the body of Phillip Johnson, 68, a Clarendon farmer, was found in northern Clarendon, Lyttle said.

To escape flood waters, about 200 people sought refuge in Clarendon’s seven shelters yesterday. They “come and go” as the waters recede or rise, he said.

“Some areas are virtually marooned, like Long Pond Road in Osborne Store and Toll Gate,” due to high waters and landslides, Lyttle said, “and a number of houses are under water.”

In northern Clarendon, Lyttle said, landslides blocked the road from Pennants to Kellits; and in Chapelton between Cross Roads and Rock River.

In addition, landslides have occurred between Frankfield and Smithville, he said.

“There is some cleaning up that’s taking place,” Lyttle said. Relief workers were distributing food packages, and blankets.

Little said Alley Bridge appeared to be structurally sound, despite earlier reports to the contrary.

In St Elizabeth, flooding was reported in Burnt Savanna and in Santa Cruz, according to the ODPEM.

The disaster relief agency also reported that Rowlandsfield in St Thomas was “isolated”, with all routes to the town impassable.

And in Manchester, the ODPEM said flooding had occurred in Bonitto Crescent, Harriot Meadows and other areas.

Across the island, school attendance has fallen off as a result of the rains, and eight public schools were closed in Mandeville and Kingston and St Andrew, according to the Ministry of Education.