SEVERAL communities in St Thomas and Portland have suffered damage, caused by landslides and flooding, which resulted from the heavy rains that pummelled the island over the weekend.

The damage was most evident at the problematic Yallahs ford, which was impassable up to yesterday morning when the rains finally began to subside.

The heavy flow of the Yallahs River caused serious damage to the bridge and tore away a large chunk of the roadway. It also felled a light pole and brought with it huge boulders, while it dug deep craters, making the passage of vehicular traffic treacherous. Motorists had to be assisted by self-appointed guides – young boys who guided drivers through the water for a small fee.

The seaward side of the ford, meanwhile, was eaten away by the force of the raging water, and one of the guides expressed gratitude that the rains had eased.

“If any more rain did fall, then the whole a dis woulda wash way inna the sea,” the teenager said.

The showers also caused several landslides and extensive road damage in some areas. A section of the Grant’s Pen main road in St Thomas was badly dug up, causing motorists to swerve to the side of the road in order to continue their journey.

The Mosquito and Passion gullies in the parish overflowed their banks and flooded the Seaforth main road. The Pamphret main road was also flooded, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reported. In addition, there were reports of landslides at sections of the Llandewey to Easington, Ramble to Cedar Valley and the Trinityville to Cedar Valley main roads.

By early afternoon, however, most of the landslides had been cleared, even as flooding was reported at Bowden Crossing and Golden Grove in the parish.

In Portland, the Muirton to Eccleston main road was blocked by felled trees, while the Hector’s River main road was also flooded. Several landslides occurred in the Prospect Land Settlement, leaving roads there impassable.

The heavy rains were caused by a combination of a surface to middle level trough and a tropical wave since Thursday. The ODPEM had issued an islandwide flash flood warning, which was lifted at 5:00 am yesterday.