MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Residents of Mandeville, Manchester were left struggling with the flooding of a main thoroughfare, Ward Avenue, in the south-central town following heavy rains on Thursday afternoon.

The flood-prone area remains a sore point four months after the implementation of the Greater Mandeville Traffic Improvement system.

The flooding resulted in a pile-up of traffic on Ward Avenue, which is now heavily used since traffic changes were implemented last December.
As part of the near $75 million Greater Mandeville Traffic Management System,± Caledonia Road now functions on a one-way system from the direction of Scotiabank to the New Green Road intersection.

Calvin Gayle, a security guard at Brumalia Hardware, said staff quickly mounted sandbags to prevent water from entering the building minutes after 2:00 pm due to the flooded roadway.

“If a truck comes now and the wave is too heavy the sandbags won’t prevent the water from coming inside. We lose customers, because people avoid the area. I am appealing to those that are in charge that we need help. This is not nice,” he said.

Another worker, Kevin Gayle, shared similar sentiments.

“This (flooding) has been happening over the years and there is no change to it. The hardware built a barrier, but it doesn’t stop the place from flooding,” he said.

Last November, Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell said legal advice was being sought to gain access to a private property central to drainage on Ward Avenue to alleviate the flooding.

At that time Manchester Central Member of Parliament Rhoda Moy Crawford had also pointed to the claims of the property owner affecting the drainage system.

— Kasey Williams