RUNAWAY BAY, St Ann — A technical team from the National Works Agency (NWA) is today expected to travel to north-western St Ann to determine the extent of damage to several roadways in the area after heavy rains pounded the parish yesterday, causing massive flooding, breakaways and landslides.

Large piles of debris along the roadway in Crossroads, Runaway Bay, told only part of the story. Gullies overflowed, sending rivers of brown water gushing through the streets, washing into people’s homes, flooding the yard at Runaway Bay Police Station, sweeping vehicles away, and causing a section of the Dumbarton main road — which connects Discovery Bay to Brown’s Town — to collapse shortly after 7:00 am. There have so far been no reports of any injuries as a result of the incident, which residents reasoned was caused by the pressure from the large volume of water flowing into the gully that runs below the road.

“They had to pull some persons through a car window,” one man told the Jamaica Observer.

“A first mi seh something like this. A work mi deh and get a call say mi house flood out,” a man who identified himself only as Richard said.

He said he has lived in Coxheath for 15 years and has never experienced such severe flooding.

When contacted yesterday, communications manager at the NWA Stephen Shaw told the Observer that a technical team would examine some of the structures that were an issue, including a diminishing retention pond which may have compounded things.

Member of Parliament for the area Dr Dayton Campbell added that drains blocked by debris also contributed to the severe flooding and land slippages, which triggered panic among residents whose houses were impacted.

Councillor for the Dry Harbour Division Carlton Ricketts argued that the collapsed roadway needed immediate attention as it is the main thoroughfare between Brown’s Town and Discovery Bay.

“The alternative we have is through Minnard, which is a private road, coming down Content to Queenhythe,” he told the

Observer. Sections of Queenhythe were also blocked yesterday.

Ricketts said he was hoping the NWA would hasten to clear the area since the only other alternative would be to travel into Runaway Bay, which could be costly.

The heavy rains were from a surface trough which moved across the island influencing conditions in northern parishes.

— Renae Dixon