ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is advising the public that Big Pond, located four kilometres north of Old Harbour, St Catherine is flooded.

“Motorists are asked to use alternative routes through Kitson Town to Back Pasture, through to Bartons, through Bullet Tree,” a tweet from ODPEM said.

Mayor of Spanish Town, Norman Scott, said there have been several reported incidents of widespread flooding in Spanish Town and its environs as the island experiences adverse weather conditions caused by Hurricane Ian.

Scott said that there have been reports of flooding in St John’s Road, Old Harbour Road, Job’s Lane, Brunswick Avenue (in the vicinity of the stoplight), Buck Town, Ensom Avenue, sections of Sligoville, Mt Moreland (Sligoville), Waterloo, Keystone, Highfield Avenue (off Brunswick Avenue), and Kent Village.

“We will have further problems if the rains continue into Tuesday,” Mayor Scott told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Scott disclosed that there had been no major drain cleaning exercises conducted before the start of the hurricane season except for an exercise initiated to clean parish council drains in June.

“Most of the flooding is now taking place in areas that fall under the authority of the NWA,” Mayor Scott said.

The rising water levels are due to the effects of Hurricane Ian, which the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service) has indicated is expected to move north-northwest across the north-western Caribbean today.