Brave men try to clear roadway blocked after earthquake

In the aftermath of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that rocked Jamaica on Monday morning, five cousins from the Woodford community in rural St Andrew had to work overtime to try and clear large boulders that fell on the community's main road.

Initially, only truck driver and tractor owner Garnet Gordon was contacted to clear the boulders, but when his cousins Kevon Richardson, Renton Scott, Jenard Nicholson and Renaldo Hamilton saw the road condition, they all volunteered to help him.

When THE STAR reached the farming community on Tuesday, the five men were seen trying to use a tractor to crack a large stone which was blocking almost half of the road. At the centre of the work was tractor operator Scott, 19. Scott said that although he had been working for two days straight, clearing big boulders and rubble off the road, he would not rest until the road is clear.

"Majority a di community is mi family enuh, and mi drive tractor, suh I ensure the road is clean, yuh know, and [there is] no danger and clear it," Scott said.

"Mi back a pain mi and thing, finger dem all a hurt mi and thing, but mi deh yah enuh," said Scott, who has lived in Woodford all his life.

After failing to break the boulder with the tractor's bucket, Scott tried using a hammer and chisel to break off as many chunks as he could. But that could only do so much. The men set the boulder on fire, hoping that the heat could soften it and make it easier to break. Hamilton said that they could not use machines like drills or the tractor's jackhammer because strong vibrations could shake more boulders loose.

"We are just trying to be as careful as possible so it don't cave in on us or anything like that," Hamilton said.

Despite the many tremors and the possibility of more boulders falling down on them, the men started to clear the road about 6 p.m. Monday and worked up until 11 p.m. They started again Tuesday morning and worked into the night, using cell phones and the tractor lights to help them look out for any other tumbling boulders. Hamilton added that clearing the rubble has been tedious and tiring, because the men have to be using their hands to move most of the stones.

"It's hard. We have to like take turns and stuff like that, and just see how best we can get this rock out of the road," Hamilton said. Hamilton, 25, said that although the earthquake scared him, his greatest concern was if a resident or family member was driving by when the boulders fell.

"I mean, if anyone of these (boulders) caught a vehicle, the vehicle would be crushed," Hamilton said. Still, Gordon believes that the earthquake may have been a blessing in disguise.

"The way it happen, wi get some a the stone fi use as a barrier (retaining wall) ...a dis aguh save people," Gordon said. He also added that despite the dangers of the task, he trusted that God would protect him and his family and not allow harm to come to them.

The boulders fell less than a mile from the Woodford Primary School and made the road impassible for vehicles. Scott said that residents had to park their cars and walk over the rubble, then take taxis on the other side to get home.