SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — Frantic efforts were being made on Friday to access a section of McNeil Land in Westmoreland which has been cut off by flooding caused by Tropical Storm Rafael on Tuesday.

For the last three days no one has seen nor heard from some of the people who live in the community of about 300 houses.

McNeil Land is approximately half a mile inward from the Little London to Llandilo main road.

“The further back you go the deeper the water gets — and that’s where we have the problem, because nothing can drive in it,” Councillor Ian Myles (Jamaica Labour Party, Little London Division) told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

“Those persons, by now they are going to need assistance because it’s three days now, so it is something that needs great urgency. We are trying our endeavour best,” he added.

According to Myles, a team from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security attempted to gain access but they were unable to get past a certain point. A team from Westmoreland Municipal Corporation tried to access the area by boat on Thursday, but that also failed.

He said thought is now being given to get airlift assistance from Jamaica Defence Force.

“I have not spoken to everyone. And then, individual persons cannot really leave their household to check on others,” Myles explained.

Bay Road and McNeil Land are some of the communities worst impacted by water which began rising shortly before dawn on Wednesday and rapidly spread across several communities in the area.

However, Myles said flooding has always been a challenge in the area.

“Most of the water that comes from Hanover, Grange Hill and Frome, those waters come through that basin because it is below sea level,” he stated.

“It’s running very, very forcefully but I can tell you, when you talk to the residents in McNeil Land, it’s the first time in history they are seeing water coming so quickly into the community — and that in itself, you know, made me realise that there has been some compromise at the back,” added the councillor.

He said he received reports on Friday that trucks have been going into the community and removing topsoil which was placed there several years ago to form a dike so as to prevent Cabarita River from entering into the community.

“It’s a personal gain, and that would now expose the residents that live in there to danger. But, these are some of the challenges that we are having. The human component is creating more and more problems for everyone,” argued Myles.

On Thursday, the Observer reported that there were concerns about the potential health risk that watery graves and pit latrines in the area had posed to residents.

On Friday, flood waters were slowly receding.