Continuous rainfall is affecting efforts by the National Works Agency (NWA) to reopen roads that have been impacted by persistent rains in the parishes of St. Mary, Portland and St. Thomas.
Nearly 40 roadways have been affected by flooding, washed down silt and blocked culverts in the three parishes.
Manager of Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw says the bulk of the damage to date has been reported in the parish of St. Mary with reports of 10 road sections being blocked up to earlier this afternoon. Another 15 have been reduced to single lane access.
Among the roadways that are being blocked by flooding, landslides and damaged surfaces are the corridors from Montreal to Top Derry, Donnington Castle to Pembroke Hall, Cascade to Labrin, Islington to Port Maria and Fort George to Camberwell.
Mr. Shaw says heavy equipment has been deployed throughout the parish, but the heavy rains and soft sub-surface are impeding the progress of works in some areas. He says roadways are also being constantly re-blocked by landslides.
In Portland, Mr. Shaw says efforts are now being made to keep the roadway from Balcaress to Wakefield open. Landslides continue to block this corridor after it is reopened.
In St. Thomas, the Johnson River has overflowed resulting in the blockage of the Serge Island roadway. The corridor from Hordley to Haining is also impassable at Hordley Crossing, as it is inundated.
Mr. Shaw says technical officers from the NWA are still carrying out assessments in the affected parishes and that roadways that are being blocked by landslides or because of damaged surfaces will be reopened as soon as the weather allows.
In the meantime, Mr. Shaw is reminding persons in the three parishes not to attempt to use roadways that are flooded, as they risk being washed away.
