A disaster to forget

Winston Williamson, 63, and his friend Owen Bryan, 57, were among residents in Alley, Clarendon, who were shuttled to a shelter during the infamous June 1986 flood, which claimed scores of lives and disrupted livelihoods across Clarendon.

Williamson, who described the flood as a disaster, told THE STAR that several residents, however, opted to stay home rather than seeking refuge at the Monymusk Club, one of the 12 designated shelters across the parish. The elderly man disclosed that a neighbour, who was called Cowboy, drowned in the disaster.

"When the water draw down, we see him pan the fence lean back, dead. Water push him and go lock him pan the fence, him cyaa move," he said.

He said another traumatising ordeal was the breakaway of the Nightis Bridge in Alley Downer.

"We hear say flood coming and them seh a truck from over Monymusk a go come fe wi. In the night, I could hardly see the cane dem, bare water. And me see all kind a supm a run pan the water top -- coconut, banana, animal ... all kind a things," said Bryan.

Displaced for at least a month

"Most a the houses, water reach up to the window height. People all a fi come out a dem house and go on the building top," he told THE STAR.

Williamson recalled that many residents were displaced for at least a month after the flooding, as they struggled with lack of water for household use, and no electricity. The Gleaner reported that many water supplies were destroyed and utility lines severely affected.

One resident in Alley, who gave his name as Marlon, recalls the experience of the flood as a teen.

"The flood was disastrous. The water coming from the Rio Minho, come to Alley Bridge and cover off the entire area. The houses in the Alley flood out, cyaa see the top," he said.

He believes that the impact of the 1986 flooding and others could have been lessened with proper infrastructure.

"As the river come up high, the bridge mash up. Right now where we stand up is not safe. The last time when the whole heap a heavy rain fall, water come up and where the marl is dropped out, you [could] see the bottom of structure," said Marlon.

He said he is, therefore, calling on the Government to act early, and reconstruct the Alley Bridge before it becomes the site of another disaster.