56 homes flooded in St Thomas

As residents in Bath, St Thomas, and surrounding communities grappled with the effects of heavy rainfall over the weekend, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security says a preliminary report has revealed that 56 houses had been flooded and 313 people affected in the parish. In a release on Monday the ministry said its parish team has continued visiting affected households and is assessing the damage to determine what further assistance is needed. The ministry said it had distributed 30 food packages, seven tarpaulins, 18 water buckets, 18 cleaning kits, 15 blankets, and 35 female and unisex hygiene kits to residents in Bath and surrounding communities, including Johnson Town. It added that the temporary shelter at Bath Primary and Junior High School had been deactivated, but parish officers would continue household visits and damage assessments. Further relief supplies, including bedding, are to be provided as needs are confirmed. Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr said the ministry remains focused on helping families affected by the severe weather. “Relief supplies are being delivered, assessments are continuing, and our parish team will remain engaged with communities requiring assistance. We are committed to ensuring that vulnerable residents are not left to manage the consequences of this flooding alone,” the minister said in the release. The National Works Agency (NWA), meanwhile, said all roads affected by the heavy rainfall over the three days leading up to Monday had been reopened, although one major corridor remained restricted to single-lane traffic. NWA Manager of Communication and Customer Services Stephen Shaw said in a release on Monday that St Thomas bore the brunt of the impact, with roads affected by landslides, debris flows, and flooding. The NWA revealed that heavy-duty equipment had been deployed along the Water Valley and Hayfield community roads, where multiple landslides had occurred. Landslides also affected Johnson Mountain Road and the road between Bath and Bath Fountain. Fallen trees were cleared from main roads in Roselle, Pamphret, Winchester, and Potosi. However, the Morant Bay-to-Wilmington corridor was reduced to single-lane access because of a breakaway. The agency said it was also moving to clear drainage channels clogged with silt and debris washed down by the rain. The areas targeted include Bath and Sunning Hill in St Thomas, as well as sections of the north coast leg of Highway 2000 in St Ann. However, for residents of Bath, the latest flooding is more than a matter of damaged roads and disrupted travel. It has revived fears about the Plantain Garden River, which has repeatedly threatened homes along its banks. One resident, who spoke to the Jamaica Observer on condition of anonymity on Friday, said she evacuated her home before the river reached its worst. After returning home and assessing the impact, she described the situation as “worse than Hurricane Melissa”. Her assessment comes nearly a year after Hurricane Melissa battered sections of the community on October 28, 2025, when the Plantain Garden River tore into its banks, threatened homes, and swept away a parked car. During that disaster, residents fled as the riverbank gave way. Some said the danger was not unexpected, arguing that the river had been steadily eating away at the land for years and that they had repeatedly called for protection. Furthermore, in August this year, when the Observer revisited Bath, residents said an intervention by the NWA involving the pushing of dirt along the riverbank had offered some protection but had not dealt with the underlying problem. The work involved placing dirt along the damaged edge of the riverbank and in a section of the river’s path. Residents acknowledged that it had made the immediate area feel somewhat safer, but argued that it was not a substitute for a more lasting solution. They called for a proper groyne to strengthen the vulnerable riverbank, and for the river to be channelled away from homes, rather than allowing the water to continue spilling towards them. When heavy rainfall returned last Friday, residents captured footage of the Plantain Garden River overflowing its banks once again, sending water towards their homes. One resident, in a video, said the sand that had been pushed along the riverbank had been washed away. “The whole a di san’ weh dem push up wash weh. When we talk, dem gwaan like wi a idiot. All of the sand weh them did push up wash weh. Wi gone back to square one. The river come down on wi again. When wi ask Stephen Shaw when di river a groyne back him seh him can’t tell wi when,” the resident said. The renewed flooding has brought the community’s long-standing concerns back into focus, with residents still seeking a lasting solution to prevent the river from threatening their homes whenever heavy rainfall occurs.