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MANDEVILLE, Manchester - With Jamaica being spared the full wrath of Tropical Storm Elsa, albeit damage was evident to roads in sections of Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and Clarendon, the parish of Manchester had no such reports.
Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the moderate to heavy rain didn't result in flooding due to an active flooding mitigation programme.
"We started our [flooding] mitigation programme [during] the first week of June where each council division was allocated some funds to start drain cleaning - realising that the hurricane season started on June 1 - that to an extent has helped us tremendously throughout the entire parish," he said.
For years, residents of Mandeville have complained of flooding resulting from heavy and persistent rain.
The municipal corporation addressed at least two major roads which were prone to flooding.
"For the town of Mandeville, Villa Road and Ward Avenue used to have some serious flooding. We did have a little rising water on Villa Road but not at the point where we had done some work. The water subsided quickly, because the drains along that area were cleaned...It [can sometimes] be difficult for the water to flow off as fast as the rain comes," explained Mitchell.
"We have been doing what we have to do in the parish. We made sure that critical drains, especially in the town centre - Manchester Road, Perth Road, deCarteret Road, New Green Road - were cleaned," he added.
"I am also thankful that we have been making the steps where persons have been dumping [garbage in the] drains, and to say 'Listen, you're not supposed to be doing that,' because you would recognise we are in the second month of the hurricane season so we have to continue the efforts to alert the citizens not to dump [anything in the] drains and gullies because once there is nowhere for the water to flow, [it] is going to [flood] the roadways and cause serious damage," said Mitchell.
In the meanwhile, he reiterated that come August 1 there will be strong enforcement when the grace period for regularisation of buildings expires.
"We are looking at August 1, because the council usually goes on recess so most of the officers will be on the road during that specific period, observing the areas, issuing reminders, where summons or enforcement notices are concerned those will be done - so the full team is going to be out there," he said.
"We will be starting with the town centres first. We are doing Mandeville, Christiana, Porus, Alligator Pond and Newport," said Mitchell.
"This is not that we want to [demolish] people's houses; all we are simply saying is seek permission to do what you're doing before you do it, because there are too many times you do the wrong things and cause other problems for other persons. We are talking about our neighbours - their lives and properties," he added.
- Kasey Williams