Mother and daughter saved from floodwaters

Desreen Gayle, 33, and her five-year-old daughter, Natasha Whyte, are lucky to be alive after nearly being swept away by floodwaters brought on by heavy rains while walking along a section of the Sign Irwin main road, in St James, yesterday morning.

"Mi little daughter Natasha a complain fi har belly Sunday night, suh mi decide seh mi gwan rush har go a Typhoid Clinic inna MoBay early this morning," said Gayle, a mother of four. The small farmer and domestic worker said she attempted to get a ride from a neighbour yesterday morning but he had already left. By that time the rain, which had eased, became heavy again. Gayle eventually got a ride from another motorist to the Porto Bello crossroads.

"When wi reach Porto Bello crossroads the rain a fall heavy, suh mi tell the man thanks, tek mi daughter inna mi hand and jump out a the car. But by the time mi reach a little distance a walk towards the gas station mi hear a loud sound and see pure water a come offa the hill behind mi," she said. "Is like mi tun fool, and next thing mi start fi run. But the water suh heavy that it lick mi off mi foot and drop mi pan mi back, but mi still hol on pon mi daughter."

Gayle said after she got tossed around for several minutes, she started to cry out and several motorists stopped and rescued her from being washed over into the drainage system.

"A God send some car man come same time. A dem come see mi a wash weh and help mi and mi daughter. A dem stop and pull mi up, because mi did hang on pon a piece a tree trunk and hol mi daughter inna mi other hand," she said. "Although mi clothes tear up and mi get cut pon mi hand and foot, mi still haffe praise God because it could a worst, and mi and Natasha could a wash weh inna the drain."

She added "A pure lick mi get because mi haffe a try bar off mi daughter from get damage. Mi foot them swell right now mi a talk to you, because stone lick mi, wood lick mi, a don't know wha nuh lick mi. But mi glad fi know seh wi still have life after wha wi go tru."

She said both she and her daughter were forced to return home after being given a lift by one of the motorists. Heavy rainfall which started as early as Sunday afternoon, resulted in major flooding in several communities and caused severe damages to roadways, homes and farms across western Jamaica.

The heavy downpour affected other areas of western Jamaica especially sections of Montego Bay, such as William Street, Princess Street, Union Street, Creek Street in the vicinity of the Type 5 Health Centre,Upper Orange Street which were flooded with water rising as high as 5-feet at some areas.

Several major roadways including the Porto Bello to Orange corridor, and the Unity Hall and Guava Walk main roads were also impassable. Sections of the asphalt in Unity Hall and Guava Walk were peeled away leaving large craters in the road surface, and damaging several National Water Commission mains.

The roadway was impassable for several hours on Monday morning, which saw miles of traffic stretching from Unity Hall to Hopewell in Hanover, and back to Reading in St James.