St. Ann ODPEM Putting Response Activities in Place

St. Ann Parish Disaster Coordinator, Alvin Clarke, has assured Pedro River, Cave Valley and Douglas Castle residents, that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Parish Disaster Committee are aware of the damage in their communities.
He said that ODPEM is putting the necessary response activities in place to assist them, after heavy rains from Tropical Storm Nicole drenched the Pedro River, Douglas Castle and Cave Valley areas, causing flooding and land slippage.
“The Pedro River area is flooded and the waters continue to rise. A number of houses are under threat and some persons are marooned in their communities,” Mr. Clarke told JIS News.
He reported that, in Douglas Castle, the main thoroughfare had become impassable and residents had to be transported by a makeshift raft, in order to get in and out of the community.
“There are incidents of land slippage in some areas of Cave Valley, and a section of the roadway between Thatchfield and Cave Valley is still inundated, but vehicles can still access the route,” he said, appealing to motorists to be careful.
He said that a few business operators in Cave Valley had evacuated their businesses, owing to past experiences with flooding in the area.
“To date there are no shelters opened in the parish. However, our shelter managers are on standby, just in case the need arises,” he said.
Mr. Clarke pointed out that a number of communities across the parish, though not affected by flooding, have been without electricity since Tuesday.
The Jamaica Public Service Company Limited has taken the necessary precautions, has opened an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) and is currently trying to remedy the situation, he told JIS News.