Hurricane Damage Assessment Underway in Manchester and St. Elizabeth

The Disaster Preparedness teams of Manchester and St. Elizabeth are busy conducting assessments and delivering temporary supplies to communities affected by the passage of Hurricane Emily in those parishes.
In St. Elizabeth, the worst hit parish, a number of houses have been flooded and several roads are still impassable, resulting in some residents being marooned in the communities of Big Woods and Beacon.Five persons are now dead in the parish, after the car they were travelling in was swept away by floodwaters into a nearby mud lake.
Meanwhile, a 13 year-old girl who was struck by lightning is recovering in the Black River Hospital. Over in south Manchester, some houses are still inundated, while a number of roads are impassable.
In an interview with JIS News, Disaster Coordinator for Manchester, Sherina Smith said, “the southern sections of the parish have been severely damaged and sections of Lane are severely under water. Downs through to Alligator Pond has severe road damage . and other sections reported minimal to no damage at all”.
Miss Smith added, “Alligator Pond is the area that is of concern, that has been cut off from the parish”.Despite severe damage to roads and numerous reports of flooding, the Jamaica Public Service Company and Cable and Wireless Jamaica have reported full restoration of services to both Manchester and St. Elizabeth.
However some sections of Manchester are still without water due to lack of electricity at the Moravia plant. Meanwhile, six systems are inaccessible inSt. Elizabeth due to flooding and the destruction of 700 feet of pipes by floodwaters.