St. Elizabeth Remains on Alert as Heavy Rains Continue

The St. Elizabeth Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) remains on alert, as heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Rafael continued across the island on Tuesday (November 5).

The tropical storm warning was discontinued at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, as the system moved away from the island.

A flash flood warning was in effect for southern parishes, and a flash flood watch for the rest of Jamaica up to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday., November 6.

Coordinator for Disaster Preparedness at the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, Ornella Lewis, told JIS News that the EOC is fully activated, and all partnering agencies are on standby in case of any emergency.

She noted that while there have been no reports of any major incidents so far, there has been inundation in some areas.

Ms. Lewis pointed out that on Monday (November 4), an emergency shelter was activated at BB Coke High School in Junction, which has since been closed.

“Nonetheless, we have all our emergency shelters on standby; but we have no other persons reporting to the shelters currently,” she added.

St. Elizabeth has some 27 emergency shelters. During the height of Hurricane Beryl on July 3, more than 100 persons sought refuge in shelters across the parish.

Ms. Lewis urges residents to stay vigilant and heed advisories issued by Government agencies.