WESTERN BUREAU — Six shelters that were opened across the water-logged parish of Westmoreland where the water was still rising yesterday are now brimming with those displaced by Tropical Storm Lili.

In addition to the 250 persons housed at the Petersfield Primary School, scores more sought refuge at places like the Petersfield Nazarene Church, Frome Technical High, George’s Plain Primary and Bay Road Basic School.

It is a way of life that has become all too familiar for some who have been battered by heavy rains and strong winds for the past two weeks as Tropical Storm Isidore first made her presence felt.

Roadways that had been repaired after the ravages of Isidore were once again ripped apart as Lili’s strong waters effortlessly charted its own course.

McNeill Lands still remains the area worst hit in the parish while other affected areas include Bay Road, Little London, Big Bridge, Smithfield, Wharf Road, Frome, George’s Plain, Paradise, Petersfield, Hertford, Fort Williams and Porters Mountain.

The Salvation Army and the Red Cross are supporting the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in feeding the victims in the shelters. According to the Salvation Army’s Major Terrence Green, they can only assist with food for now, as they are still unable to distribute blankets and mattresses at the moment as they are still trying to verify that all the claims are legitimate. He said, though, that neighbours of flood victims are also playing an integral role in the preparation of meals for those affected.

Friends and family members have also been integrally involved in assisting persons affected in other western parishes like St James, Hanover and Trelawny. Because of their intervention and the lesser number of victims, there has been no need to open shelters in any of these parishes.

In St James yesterday, the number of affected families had more than doubled the 20 initially reported Monday, but ODPEM co-ordinator, Faye Headley was unable to provide a precise number of those affected.

“The number has more than doubled and we are still investigating,” she told the Observer.

The areas most severely affected in St James, she said, were Montpellier, Anchovy Meadows, Copperwood and Vaughnsfield where a number of families have opted to seek shelter with friends and relatives.

Yesterday, Headley began the distribution of relief supplies such as bedding and clothing to some of those affected.

“Some people have been sending messages to us and then coming in,” she said, adding that ODPEM teams were also dispatched to investigate reports of residents in need of assistance.

In Hanover, the ODPEM visited 18 affected families Tuesday and expect that more will be added to the list by today, as there were reports that flood waters were still rising on the road between Forrest and Chigwell.

“We will have to see if houses are being threatened,” explained co-ordinator Clover Ferguson.

She told the Observer that rivers at Logwood, Bacadirie and Santoy had overflowed their banks, and landslides at Jericho had damaged two houses.

As is the case with St James, the affected families have opted to stay with friends and relatives.

In Trelawny, where areas like the Long Pond Sugar Estate have been under water since Sunday, efforts have been made to have the water pumped.

According to chief operations officer at the Sugar Company of Jamaica, Livingstone Morrison, the heavy rains have left sections of the office complex, garage and cane fields flooded. He pointed out that the flooding has affected the maintenance work now in progress at the estate.

Up to late yesterday afternoon, despite the pumping of the water from the premises, sections of the compound and the access roads leading to the factory were still under water. Morrison said, however, that despite the setback, the management of Long Pond is optimistic that the 2003 sugar crop will commence in January as planned.

Meanwhile, residents of Mowfield in Trelawny have expressed concern about what they say is a large body of rising water in the community.

Leroy Clarke, a resident, told the Observer that the water in the area was rising and if the trend continued, several families would have to be evacuated.

There were also reports that sections of the Wakefield to Adelphi main road were blocked in the vicinity of the Muschette Comprehensive High School and the Duncans to Clarks Town main road was also blocked in the vicinity of Long Pond. There have been reports of land slippages in the Troy, Lorrimers and Rock Spring communities of South Trelawny.