FOR residents of Weise Road in Bull Bay, St Andrew, it was a case of deja vu on Tuesday when heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Grace caused a section of the Chalky River to overflow its banks, dumping up to four feet of silt and large stones into homes and destroying furniture, appliances, and motor vehicles.

Last November there was a similar but much worst situation during heavy rains when silt poured into several homes and packed as high as the ceilings. Some motor vehicles were entirely covered with silt.

Over many months, the silt was cleared from the homes and dumped on the banks of the river, which some residents believe was a bad decision, as the mounds of dirt which had been removed ended back into the homes.

This time around, an entire section of the river’s banks tore away, leaving the riverbed and residents’ homes on the same level.

While digging his Ford Ranger out of silt, Henry Prince said he was surprised when he returned home Tuesday evening to find the vehicle stuck in mud and his home full of muck. He, told the Jamaica Observer he was worried about his earnings going forward due to possible damage to the Ford Ranger which he uses for his livelihood.

“I wasn’t here Tuesday in the day, but when mi a come een back in the night mi couldn’t even come up the road. Mi haffi tek di back road and come een. When mi come een mi haffi tek up mi shovel and start [cleaning] out. It reach bout three feet worth a silt and stone.

“I waan tell you seh this van should a gone out go work this morning. Is a commercial vehicle. As old as it be, it’s a computerised vehicle, so maybe the computer can get lick,” he told the Observer.

He said the authorities should have trucked the silt away, instead of leaving it on the banks of the river.

Terry-Ann Murray, who took very few breaks while cleaning up her house, said if she had not put up a concrete wall she would have had more silt collecting in her house.

At the same time, Murray she said, while some people may have received offers to have them relocated, no one had approached her.

“Maybe dem go to some people, but nobody nuh come seh nothing to me about relocation. A tru mi build up di wall since the last time mek more nuh come eeen. Di worst thing ’bout it too, a seh no water not even inna di pipe. All dem haffi do a fix di groyne and this wouldn’t happen.”

Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew Delroy Williams, who toured Weise Road yesterday, told the Observer that the current Atlantic Hurricane Season is still active and therefore a short-term measure will have to be put in place until a more permanent one is decided on.

“We are looking at a short-term and a long-term solution. What we recognise is that there is a consistent problem in the river as you approach Weise Road at the Nine Mile bridge. The silt build-up is a major issue. There is a section of the Chalky River banks that was breached, so what we are doing is pursuing various options, and the city engineer’s department has been asked to work closely with other agencies and provide various options to us, because the issue of cost is a factor.

“We are in the hurricane season and rains are expected in the season, so we have to first find a short-term solution,” he added.

In commenting on other areas in St Andrew that experienced flooding Williams said he was pleased that New Haven, which usually experiences flooding during heavy rains, saw water receding quickly after the rains had stopped.

“We visited New Haven and we were pleased because, even though they had flooding, as soon as the rain subsided, the water receded. That is something they normally would not have experienced before. We were able to walk along Riverside Drive, which normally we wouldn’t be able to do. They normally have water remaining there for days into weeks.

“This time the water receded quickly. The residents were very pleased with that and we are encouraged by that, because we did the Duhaney River, and prior to the passage of Grace we cleaned a number of drains in that area. We will continue to clean the Duhaney River and the drains in that community.”