HEAVY rains pelted Portland and St Thomas Friday night, flooding and destroying roads and forcing 108 students of the Happy Grove High School in Portland to spend the night there.

According to Happy Grove principal, Larriston Lindsay, after he learnt that the area would be receiving heavy rains, he closed the school early to allow the students to get home.

However, the students who live in Port Antonio were unable to go home because of the heavy downpour.

Lindsay told the Sunday Observer that the Manchioneal police provided security for the students throughout the night, while parents kept in touch with the school to ensure that their children were safe.

The students left for home early yesterday morning as the water subsided. Some used public transport while others were picked-up by their parents.

The principal said that end-of-year internal exams that were scheduled for Monday will now be held on Wednesday, but all external examinations will be held as scheduled.

Meanwhile, the Golden Grove police have reported that the following roads were flooded by Friday’s rains: Golden Grove, Bath, Amity Hall, Savage Gut, Port Morant, Stokes Hall, Willowfield, Rolandsfield and Hordley.

Some motorists were forced to park their vehicles at the Golden Grove Police Station until midnight Friday when the flood waters began to recede.

Residents told the Sunday Observer that the water level rose to as high as three feet in some places as the Plantain Garden River overflowed its banks.

Yesterday, Ricardo Walters of Willowfield, was seen fixing the road leading to Willowfield and Bath. He said the road always floods whenever it rains and asked that the authorities provide adequate drainage to prevent a recurrence.