HEAVY rains associated with Hurricane Isidore lashed Jamaica again yesterday, leaving a number of communities flooded.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reported that sections of Clarendon, Kingston and St Andrew, St Elizabeth, St Thomas, were the worst affected by flooding.

In Kingston, approximately 14 families from New Haven who had to evacuate their homes sought shelter at the Salvation and Deliverance Apocalyptic Church in the community.

Some residents of New Haven, however, praised member of parliament OT Williams, though their homes were flooded, due to clogged drains.

“Don’t take any pictures, we don’t want any bad name for the MP … he is doing a good job,” shouted some of the flood victims, while standing outside their inundated driveways, watching a bulldozer clearing the slug filled trench.

The residents said the bulldozer was the result of the MP, however, other victims living a short distance away on Malbourough Road were not so forgiving.

“Every year this happens, come September or October,” said Loreeta Fergusson.

“Where is the MP; we know of no MP,” she said.

Bishop Keith Pitt said that after 72 hours, the shelter would stop receiving assistance and food aid from the Red Cross.

“This cannot be a sustainable situation, they will soon have to return to their homes, physical accomodation will be a problem as children are sleeping on chairs.”

Several roads in Kingston, including Marcus Garvey Drive, in the vicinity of the Tinson Pen aerodrome, were also flooded.

The driver of an Isuzu Rodeo managed to escape injury after the sport utility vehicle he was driving skidded and fell into a swamp.

In Clarendon, Race Course to Bank Road and Lionel Town to Rocky Point roads were inundated with water, causing flooding of homes.

Families were also evacuated from the Ricketts River area, and temporarily housed at the Frome Technical High School in Westmoreland, according to the ODPEM.

And in St Thomas, Poorman’s Corner and a section of Bull Bay road were eroded by the heavy flood waters.

Hurricane Isidore was last night near latitude 20.6 degrees north, longitude 82 degrees west, or about 150 kilometres southwest of the Isle of Youth, Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were 120km/h.

However, the National Meteorological Service said light to moderate rainfall would continue to affect sections of the island today, especially central and northern parishes and warned fisherman and other small craft operators to exercise caution until winds and seas were returned to normal conditions.