Roadways in Mobay impassable after heavy rainfall
ST JAMES, Jamaica- Several roadways in and around the city of Montego Bay remain impassable after Tuesday afternoon’s heavy rainfall.
“There has been quite a bit of rainfall over the last hour and as a result of that, several roadways in and around the city of Montego Bay have been impacted. We have sections in the vicinity of El Greco where we have an inundation and there is flooding within several sections in the town centre. So, we are having severe traffic congestion now,” Community Relations Officer of the National Works Agency (NWC) Western Region, Janel Ricketts told OBSERVER ONLINE.
Roadways within the Fairview area have also been affected, the community relations officer stated while pointing out that these roads are not being controlled by NWA.
“The roadways within Fairview are not NWA roads, but some sections have been affected by severe flooding based on the reports that I have received. There is quite a bit of flooding on that particular plaza [Annex Plaza] and the Fairview Shopping Centre, so that is a challenge for the individuals in that particular section,” said Ricketts.
Ricketts told OBSERVER ONLINE that the agency is currently on standby waiting on the flooding to subside.
“Our team will be assessing the situation shortly. The rain continues and we are monitoring the situation. We are on the ground, but we are on standby because it is raining, so there is not much for us to do at this moment. But we are monitoring the situation,” she said.
Acting Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon told OBSERVER ONLINE that the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC) is currently on the ground assessing the impacts of Tuesday’s heavy rainfall.
“We are currently at Creek Street in downtown Montego Bay. We are moving around town assessing the areas that have been temporarily flooded and so far, we haven’t seen anything major to report,” he said.
“We are doing this tour with a view to clean up the area as soon as all the water has subsided. There is no vehicular traffic on Creek Street, but a few cars have broken down in the roadway and we are trying to move them so we can clear up the space,” said Vernon.
