KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Horace Chang, who is heading the Government in the absence of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, said the authorities are monitoring widespread flooding caused by the inclement weather currently affecting sections of the island.

Chang, who was speaking at an emergency press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) a short while ago, noted that this is the highest level of rainfall the county has experienced in the last several years, particularly in Clarendon and St Mary.The minister said, in consultation with Holness, the government has ordered the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to activate a national Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) at level two as at noon today.All parish Emergency Operation Centres were activated an hour earlier, at 11:00 am, Chang informed, adding that all parish representatives have been mobilised to attend their respective EOCs and shelter managers are currently on standby in the event shelters need to be opened to respond to any evacuations.There were no reported loss of lives but at least 30 people from the community of Sunnyside, in Linstead, St Catherine had to be rescued after being marooned. St James, Hanover and some sections of Trelawny have been spared from the effects of the inclement weather.With at least two more days of rain expected, Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie is advising people in flood prone areas to be careful.His warning follows reports of inundated roads, farmlands, bridges washed away, landslides and breakaways.According to Chang, the government, inclusive of Finance Minister Audley Shaw, will on Friday seek a further assessment of damage.Due to the effects of the weather, Holness is set to return to the island tonight instead of tomorrow from his official visit to the Dominican Republic.Shanica Blair