Road Clearance Operations Commence Following Hurricane Melissa

The Government has commenced efforts to clear blocked roadways and restore access to communities most severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

These include engaging the services of contractors and owners of heavy-duty equipment.

Clearing the roadways will also allow relief supplies to reach thousands of people who have lost their homes and belongings in the disaster.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, provided an update during a press conference at Jamaica House on Thursday (October 30).

“Based on reports received up to early this morning, more than 151 roads have been reported affected islandwide. Of this, 134 are still blocked. We have fully cleared 11 roads, we have partially cleared to single lane, 41 roads, and we continue to work on 82,” he informed.

Mr. Morgan said the Government has entered into strategic partnerships with contractors across various grades, as well as owners of heavy-duty equipment islandwide, to undertake the necessary restoration works.

“Twenty-four to 30-odd hours after the hurricane, our contractors are active… we are active on the ground. But the reality that we face is that we require time,” the Minister said.

Mr. Morgan noted that the task at hand involves more than simply deploying personnel to clear roadways, pointing out that other factors have to be considered.

“We are [working] in collaboration with JPS (Jamaica Public Service Company), NWC (National Water Commission) and ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management), and we continue to work. Our priority is to give at least single-lane access where roads are blocked, which includes removing fallen trees, clearing landslides and relieving flooded areas by creating additional drainage,” the Works Minister explained.

Referring specifically to operations in St. Elizabeth – one of the parishes most severely impacted – Mr. Morgan outlined several challenges currently being encountered.

“[Crews] are working specifically in South St. Elizabeth… [where] we have a lot of equipment. We have equipment in Black River, trying to clear the debris. There is four feet of sand [on the road], adjacent to the sea, that is not going to be cleared in 24 hours. Four feet of sand stretching for over a mile is going to require significant haulage [utilising] significant heavy equipment,” he added.

Mr. Morgan also noted that clearing the main road in the Holland Bamboo area of St. Elizabeth has proven particularly challenging.

“Not only is the bamboo in the road but it is also flooded. So the time it would take to clear, if it were only the bamboo in the road, it would be easier,” he said.

The Minister advised that while critical road clearance operations were under way, the equally important task of assessing infrastructural damage was actively continuing.

“Our 14 parish technical teams, along with support from other departments, are assessing the effects of the damage and assigning appropriate equipment to clear affected areas. We have also deployed technical teams to look at our bridges and critical infrastructure. Where river training may be necessary, we have also engaged with our coastal experts. For example, we are engaged with [coastal and environmental engineering firm] Smith Warner [International Limited] to look at our revetments across the island to ensure that they are stable,” he stated.

Minister Morgan said the Government is also undertaking a comprehensive examination of the gully network islandwide.

“Even though the rains have stopped, there are gully walls that have now become unstable that may now pose a risk to life for people who live close to gullies. We are also looking at our traffic signal network islandwide. A large portion of our traffic signal network is down, so we are assessing that as well,” he said.

Mr. Morgan added that several communities, especially in western parishes that were impacted by the hurricane, have seen a significant number of their drains destroyed.

“We continue to conduct assessments and create access where inaccessible areas exist, so that our technical teams can look at the damage,” he said.

The Minister stated that while roadway clearance and damage assessments are actively under way, the Government is not yet in a position to provide a definitive estimate of the damage sustained by the country’s physical infrastructure.

“Our targeted approach is multi-pronged: reopening of blocked roads first to at least single lane; restoring drivability of main thoroughfares which have been scoured; assessment of critical infrastructure for safety – bridges, gullies, rock revetments and river training; assessment of traffic signal network; collaboration with our partners – JPS, NWC, our telephone companies, ODPEM and our municipalities; and also giving regular updates to the nation as to where we are in clearing,” Mr. Morgan said.